“Completely out of sorts” – Carragher and Sutton slam Liverpool player after dreadful Monday night performance

Jamie Carragher and Chris Sutton didn’t hold back in their criticism of a Liverpool player who delivered a poor showing during Monday night’s clash.

While Rio Ngumoha’s goal sparked wild celebrations among Liverpool fans – including former defender Carragher – the result left new manager Arne Slot with serious concerns about his team’s defensive fragility at St James’ Park. For the second straight game, the reigning Premier League champions squandered a two-goal lead, prompting some pundits to single out Ibrahima Konate as a weak link.

Carragher and Sutton point fingers at Konate

During live commentary on Sky Sports, Sutton was quick to criticise the 26-year-old for a costly first-half mistake, remarking: “Konate’s had an absolute stinker so far. He didn’t play well against Bournemouth either.”

Post-match on Monday Night Football, Carragher echoed those sentiments, saying: “There are a few Liverpool players who’ve had a very shaky start to the season – Konate among them. He’s been all over the place.” He went on to criticise the centre-back’s defending for Newcastle’s equaliser: “I want my centre-back to dominate that challenge with Dan Burn. Instead, he’s caught up trying to grab his arm. He was poor in the first half, too – completely off the pace.”

Konate’s form under scrutiny

With Giovanni Leoni recently joining the squad and Liverpool reportedly eyeing Marc Guehi, Konate urgently needs to raise his level, especially with just one year left on his current contract. But so far this season, his performances have fallen short.

He was at fault for missing a header that led to William Osula’s goal and also lost possession too easily to Sandro Tonali in the first half – both moments highlighted by Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo, who gave him a 4/10 rating.

Despite some solid stats – 94% passing accuracy, four duels won out of six, and five clearances according to Sofascore – Konate’s lapses at crucial moments undermined his performance.

With table-toppers Arsenal coming to Anfield next weekend in a potentially pivotal title clash, Konate will need to rediscover his best form. When he’s at his peak, he’s a commanding presence at the back – but that version of him has been missing so far this season. Liverpool fans will be hoping he turns it around in time for the showdown with the Gunners and maintains consistency for the rest of the campaign.