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 standard knowledge Salah needs to be previous his peak, wanting in direction of the tip of his days on the high of the sport.
As a substitute, he’s posting the very best numbers of his profession to guide 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 help for his team-mates behind closed doorways.
That’s what motivates Konate to return the favour, in keeping with his personal private ambitions, and why he needs to assist the ahead surpassing his earlier greatest Ballon d’Or end of fifth and raise the trophy subsequent October.
He says: “I actually hope we are going to obtain nice issues this season as a result of if he retains going like this, I feel 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. “Once 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 want him, I feel it is the identical for him with me. We simply work collectively and attempt to be the very best 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 stability the affable supervisor has struck labelled the very best 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 underneath the Klopp dynasty has improved the aspect. The numbers would recommend 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.
“When you can see and evaluate to the final season or the season earlier than as nicely, we had been extra uncovered. However now once we lose the ball, everybody tries to assist the crew and I feel 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.”
