Ibrahima Konate says he’s impressed to win trophies for “unbelievable” team-mate Mo Salah within the hope that the ahead can win the Ballon d’Or for the primary time.
“Everything he has done since the start of the season, even since he’s played for Liverpool – it’s crazy what he’s done,” laughed the Frenchman when requested about Salah’s contribution to Liverpool’s title problem.
He’s effusive in his reward for the 32-year-old, and why not? By typical knowledge Salah ought to be previous his peak, trying in the direction of the tip of his days on the prime of the sport.
As an alternative, he’s posting the perfect numbers of his profession to steer the Golden Boot race from Erling Haaland, with a objective involvement each 57 minutes on common.
A lot of his contribution speaks for itself, however not his assist for his team-mates behind closed doorways.
That’s what motivates Konate to return the favour, in step with his personal private ambitions, and why he needs to assist the ahead surpassing his earlier finest Ballon d’Or end of fifth and elevate the trophy subsequent October.
He says: “I actually hope we’ll obtain nice issues this season as a result of if he retains going like this, I believe on the finish of the season he can win the Ballon d’Or.
“He will never say that because I think his objective is just to win big things with Liverpool. He doesn’t really think about himself like, ‘okay, I want to score more goals, I want to have more assists’ – he just wants to win the game.
“He simply needs to share his expertise with the brand new gamers, younger gamers. And for me, it is unbelievable to be a participant like that at his age and to be so skilled like that.”
Konate is impressed by Salah, but knew the heights the forward could reach before he joined him at Anfield from RB Leipzig in 2021. He was not so clued-up on the quality of defensive colleague Virgil van Dijk before his arrival.
After three years of a burgeoning relationship and his maturity into the towering Dutchman’s first-choice partner, he feels the duo can not only rival Gabriel and William Saliba as the Premier League’s best centre-back pairing, but anyone in world football.
“What a defender,” he smiles again. “After I was in Leipzig and I watched some Liverpool video games, I did not realise how good he was.
“And when I came here sometimes I would just think, no, how is this possible? He’s too good. When I first came here, he gave me a lot of advice and he helped my adaptation.
“On the pitch now, how I would like him, I believe it is the identical for him with me. We simply work collectively and attempt to be the perfect partnership on the planet.
“Some strikers see Virgil, and are just like ‘okay, now I have no chance against him’. They don’t give 100 per cent.”
That chemistry has been helped by the strategy Arne Slot has taken at Anfield since succeeding Jurgen Klopp, with the steadiness the affable supervisor has struck labelled the perfect in world soccer by his predecessor earlier this week.
Konate is just not afraid to match the 2 and thinks the measure of management Slot has introduced after 9 years of ‘heavy metallic’ soccer below the Klopp dynasty has improved the aspect. The numbers would counsel so; Liverpool have a tighter defence than in three of the earlier final 4 seasons.
He says: “[Trent Alexander-Arnold] helps a lot when we attack which leaves me with a big space to defend. But how the manager has explained to us to defend all together has helped me and the team a lot.
“In the event you can see and examine to the final season or the season earlier than as properly, we have been extra uncovered. However now once we lose the ball, everybody tries to assist the crew and I believe we’re extra collectively.
“Nobody was expecting the manager to do what he has done since the start of the season. He has a great idea of playing, he knows what to do and it’s not about adaptation to the other team. I think this makes a lot of difference for us compared to under Jurgen.”
