Jurgen Klopp must make a bold decision for tonight’s match against Fulham
Liverpool return to Premier League action this evening when they host Fulham at Anfield, with a chance to close the gap on the Champions League places to four points.
The Reds are coming off a thrilling 4-3 win over Tottenham on Merseyside last weekend, with Diogo Jota’s late strike securing a stunning win for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Despite the positive outcome, the head coach may still want to make changes to his team because some individual performances left a lot to be desired.
After his underwhelming performance against Spurs, central defender Ibrahima Konate must be boldly dropped from the starting lineup in favor of Joel Matip.
How did Konate fare in his match against Tottenham?
Throughout the game, the Frenchman was suspect defensively and was involved in the opposition’s first goal. Heung-min Son dragged him out of position on the halfway line, and his failure to drop back in allowed Harry Kane a free volley from eight yards by the time Ivan Perisic could send in a cross.
Konate was also let off the hook when, in the second half, his advanced position allowed Son to pick up the ball on the edge of the box, with the forward then crashing into the post.
After his underwhelming performance against Spurs, central defender Ibrahima Konate must be boldly dropped from the starting lineup in favor of Joel Matip.
How did Konate fare in his match against Tottenham?
Throughout the game, the Frenchman was suspect defensively and was involved in the opposition’s first goal. Heung-min Son dragged him out of position on the halfway line, and his failure to drop back in allowed Harry Kane a free volley from eight yards by the time Ivan Perisic could send in a cross.
Konate was also let off the hook when, in the second half, his advanced position allowed Son to pick up the ball on the edge of the box, with the forward then crashing into the post.
The ex-Leipzig star’s awareness was again called into question for Tottenham’s second goal, as the South Korean finally got on the scoresheet by taking advantage of a lapse in communication between Trent Alexander-Arnold and his center-back to run between them before slotting past Alisson.
Klopp must therefore take the risk of replacing the £35 million tycoon with Matip, who impressed in their previous outing before the Spurs match, a 2-1 win over West Ham.
The 31-year-old veteran, once dubbed “dominant” by ex-Red Sami Hyypia, won nine of his 11 aerial battles throughout the game and received a Sofascore rating of 7.7 – boosted by the fact that he scored the game-winning goal.
Meanwhile, Konate has not had a Sofascore rating higher than 7.7 in the Premier League this season, with a score of 6.8 against Tottenham.
Matip, on the other hand, has scored 7.7/10 in two of his last three Premier League appearances for the Reds. When available, the experienced campaigner is a dependable performer, and Klopp can rely on him to deliver the goods tonight after Konate’s disappointing performance against Spurs.
Ditching the France international for tonight’s game against the Cottagers could give the youngster extra motivation to come back stronger and avoid making as many mistakes in his next appearance.
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