Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk are very much at different stages in their Liverpool careers.
For many, though, they represent the best combination at centre-back for the immediate future as the Reds look to navigate their way back towards some kind of defensive consistency.
They were back together here at Anfield for the Champions League group finale against Napoli with the Reds still hurting from the defensive malaise that gifted victory to Leeds on Saturday evening to end their long unbeaten home Premier League run.
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While this was Van Dijk’s 200th Liverpool appearance, for Konate it was just a 32nd and only a third this season after two separate injury setbacks.
The duo ended the previous campaign as arguably the first-choice duo having started the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League, and are undoubtedly unmatched in terms of physical presence.
Certainly, there was no chance of either being spooked by the Napoli defence as Joe Gomez was back in September, Konate setting the tone by strong-arming the dangerous Khvicha Kvaratskhelia during the early stages. There were understandable signs of ring-rust in some of the Frenchman’s distribution, but his willingness to push forward and join the attack prompted loud chants of ‘Ibou’ from the Kop.
Konate’s all-action style established him as a crowd favourite not long after his arrival from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021, and here every strong tackle was greeted by defiant cheers from the Anfield crowd.
It was perhaps wise for Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to take Gomez out of the firing line, the defender having struggled in recent games following his outstanding performance against Manchester City. His time will come again, so too the injured Joel Matip, who hasn’t been seen since the defeat at Arsenal seven games ago.
Van Dijk, meanwhile, appeared more like himself after being partly culpable for Leeds’ winner at the weekend, standing no nonsense from Victor Osimhen.
With Kostas Tsimikas lively, Trent Alexander-Arnold showing good discipline to help quell Kvaratskhelia and Alisson Becker solid when called upon, Liverpool became only the second team in the last 28 games to stop Napoli from scoring and, thanks to the late strikes from Mohamed Salah and substitute Darwin Nunez, the first to beat the runaway Serie A leaders this season.
And for Konate, it was a timely statement of intent. The competition for places at centre-back at Liverpool has been reignited.
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