Is Ibrahima Konate Virgil Van Dijk’s favourite centre back partner during his time at Liverpool?

1 year ago

Liverpool’s most impactful change since the arrival of Arne Slot is a more measured approach to games with their defence playing a huge role in the first part of the season. We’re looking at the partnership at the back, and how the fans are taking to them this campaign.

Transcript

00:00On to Liverpool's defence, there was massive conversations last year in terms of defensive

00:08partnerships and Saliba and Gabriel were brought up a number of times for Arsenal of course,

00:15but Ibrahima Kanate coming back into this side, he had his injury problems but him and

00:21Van Dijk are seeming unstoppable at times. What's your take on them and are they the

00:26best current partnership in the Premier League?

00:29Well, if you look at the Premier League table, you'd probably say that they have to be because

00:35Liverpool have conceded six goals in 11 matches, so almost one in two games that they conceded

00:43and if you look at the next best, I think it's Nottingham Forest on 10. They've been

00:49magnificent. I think one big pass on the back iron slot deserves is Kanate managed to stay

00:57fit so far. Maybe it's not him because it's not like he's changed anything drastically

01:06but he won all of his duels. He's definitely one of the best centre-backs in the Premier

01:12League in terms of performances this season and Virgil van Dijk, what can you say about

01:16him? He's just in a mood but like Jeffs, Udai Emery after the Villa game was raving about

01:22him calling him one of the best players in the world, not just one of the best defenders

01:26in the world but one of the best players, which is probably the biggest compliment that

01:30you can give a centre-half when you're saying that he's one of the best in the world.

01:34Obviously, van Dijk in his eighth season with Liverpool. Do you think him and Kanate, that

01:41Kanate partnership is probably his favourite so far?

01:45I don't know. It's a good point. I think he'd like playing next to Joel Matip, who is a

01:52cult hero at Liverpool. A very underrated player, Joel Matip, to be honest with you.

01:58It was disappointing the way his career ended ultimately because when he got that knee injury

02:02last season, he was actually ahead of Kanate in the team and they started the Champions

02:08League final victory together. Also, Joe Gomez, who came off the bench recently, was absolutely

02:16monstrous against Brighton. Van Dijk and Gomez, they were the main partnership when

02:23Liverpool won the Premier League. So, there's good options there. Obviously, they've got

02:27Charles Quantzer, who's available as well. He hasn't played as much as he would like

02:32but I don't think he can complain. He's come out and said that he can't have any complaints

02:37given the defensive performances. But if Liverpool go and achieve something special this season,

02:44you might look at them and think, yes, Van Dijk and Kanate because towards the end of

02:48that 2021-22 season when they just missed out on the Premier League and the Champions

02:53League, it was Kanate as well who was the main partner. But I don't really think Uwe

02:58van Dijk minds.

Is Ibrahima Konate Virgil Van Dijk’s favourite centre back partner during his time at Liverpool?

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