Ibrahima Konate will be a huge loss for Liverpool while he is out injured. Arne Slot confirmed following the win over Manchester City last weekend that the defender will be “out for a few weeks” after an injury sustained in the Champions League clash against Real Madrid the previous midweek.
He has been imperative for the Reds this season, as they sit top of the pile in the Premier League. The Frenchman has played 12 times in the top flight, with his centre-back partner Virgil van Dijk explaining “the qualities he has are outstanding” earlier in the season.
However, with Konate sidelined for the foreseeable future, Van Dijk will need a new partner at the heart of the Liverpool defence. Joe Gomez was the man who took up that mantle last weekend.
Gomez’s stats this season
With Konate’s impressive form this term, it has not been a campaign filled with opportunities for England international Gomez. He has played just nine games in all competitions, with four of those coming in the Premier League.
Frustratingly, he has played just 145 top-flight minutes altogether, with his first start coming last weekend against the Cityzens. Indeed, that was a positive performance against the reigning top-flight champions.
Gomez earned an impressive 8/10 for his efforts against Pep Guardiola’s side. The Guardian journalist Andy Hunter praised the former Charlton Athletic defender for “an assured defensive display” against City.
He has come a long way under Slot since the first game of the season. The 27-year-old, who has never scored a professional goal, was left out of their season opener away to Ipswich Town.
That led to a report from The Times explaining that he could depart the club over the summer, although that did not materialise. Since then, the defender – who was ironically close to a move to today’s opponents, Newcastle United – has knuckled down well and put in a strong performance against City to prove his worth in the squad.
With the games coming thick and fast for Liverpool, Slot may well decide to rotate his side around and could leave Gomez out of the starting lineup against Newcastle, in favour of Jarrell Quansah.
Why Quansah could start against Newcastle
The 2023/24 campaign was a breakout season for Reds academy product Quansah. He played 33 times under Jurgen Klopp, becoming an important squad player and even being named in England’s provisional Euro 2024 squad.
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However, this season has been the opposite for the 21-year-old. Under Slot, Quansah has featured just four times in all competitions, with just two of those games coming in the Premier League.
Interestingly, the defender did make a start at Portman Road at the start of the season, with his other appearance coming off the bench against City last weekend. In that heavyweight showdown, he helped to hold down the fort and ensure City did not find a route back into the game.
It may well be seen as a risk to drop Gomez in favour of the youngster who has had fewer minutes this term. However, as the stats from the 2023/24 Premier League season, courtesy of Squawka, there is not too much between them from a numerical standpoint.
On the ball, Quansah played more forward passes per game, with 29.6 to Gomez’s 17.9, and won more aerial duels, with 3.5 compared to just 1.6 for his teammate.
Stat (per 90)
Quansah
Gomez
Pass accuracy
88.76
86.25
Forward passes
29.6
17.9
Tackles and interceptions
3.2
3.4
Aerial duels won
3.5
1.6
Ground duels won
2.4
4
Ball recoveries
5.5
5.7
It is a chance for the “exceptional” defender, as football scout Antonio Mango described him, to stake a claim in the Liverpool side whilst Konate is sidelined. He will be coming up against Anthony Gordon and Alexander Isak, one of the most deadly attacking duos in the Premier League.
They have four joint goal involvement in 60 games together so far, and although they have not been in the best form this term, there is a chance to make a statement to Slot by keeping them quiet.
It would be a bold call for Slot to bring Quansah into the side, especially coming up against Isak and Gordon. He will have his work cut out against two lethal attacking players, but it is a challenge the Liverpool academy graduate will surely rise to meet, as he tries to lock down a regular starting spot.
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