Liverpool’s new signing Ibrahima Konaté has continued to impress in his first pre-season at the club.
If glimpses of the French defender in training excited most Reds supporters for the coming season already, they would be even more thrilled to see their new man thrive in a type of system that Liverpool are already known to play.
And that is exactly what happened when Konaté lined up in a very high line against Mainz in Liverpool’s pre-season outing at Salzburg in Austria.
Jürgen Klopp’s side is known to play a characteristically high line ever since the German’s ascension to the helm in 2015.
Klopp’s central defenders are required to be dominant and fast and are stationed almost on the halfway line whenever in possession – while his full-backs are required to cover end to end with their tireless runs.
The German manager also requires his back four to be extremely fast in order to cover up any space left behind for the opponents to run into – all of the characteristics that a certain Konaté looked to fulfil in the friendly against Mainz.
Konaté put on a defensive masterclass in a high line playing against the Bundesliga outfit, as he displayed an impressive passing ability to break lines from the defence as well as showing a tendency to burst forward with the ball.
Konaté’s profile looks like the perfect fit for Klopp’s outfit where he is likely to start alongside the colossal figure of Virgil van Dijk – who will likely play a sweeper role while Konaté will act as the ball-playing defender.
The pairing looks like one of the most physically dominant centre-back duos in recent memory, and Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool supporters will need Konaté to hit the ground running as they look to reclaim the Premier League title.