Ibrahima Konate interview: ‘Slot's Liverpool philosophy is different to Klopp's, but he didn't ask me to change'

New York Times

2 days ago

Like everyone who watched last weekend's Champions League final, Ibrahima Konate could not fail to be impressed by Paris Saint-Germain's five-star performance. But as he watched Vitinha and company cut elegant swathes through a bewildered Inter at Munich's Allianz Arena, there was a nagging disappointment.
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'I enjoyed it, like any football fan,' he says. 'We were all looking forward to it because it was a Champions League final. But I would have liked to be there with my team!'
Unlike the majority of people who tuned in, Konate knows what it is like to play against this PSG team, having finished on the wrong side of a penalty shootout defeat against them with Liverpool in the round of 16 in March. While the knowledge that his side fell to the tournament's eventual winners provides a crumb of comfort, it has only stiffened his determination to come back and win the competition next season. And that will not be his only objective.
'The most important thing is not to rest on our laurels,' the centre-back tells The Athletic in an interview at Clairefontaine, France's national football centre. 'We won the Premier League, which is magnificent and which made everyone happy, but it's not an end in itself. I want to win it again next year. Or win the Champions League.
'When next season begins, we shouldn't forget about the title, because we won it and it's etched in history, but we'll need to set it aside and say to ourselves, 'That's behind us. Now, do we have the desire and the physical and mental strength to do what we did last season again?'
'It will be harder, because we're the champions and everyone will want to beat us.'
Konate could have been forgiven for wondering if he was going to have anything to celebrate last season, after finding himself on the bench for Arne Slot's first Premier League game as Liverpool coach away to Ipswich in August. Within 45 minutes, Slot had decided to send Konate on in place of Jarell Quansah and the Frenchman did not look back, going on to start every subsequent league match for which he was available until a dead rubber against Chelsea in early May after the title had been secured.
Konate, who celebrated his 26th birthday in late May, says his responsibilities have not significantly changed under Slot, who succeeded Jurgen Klopp when the German stepped down at the end of the 2023-24 campaign after almost nine years as manager. But by benching him that day at Portman Road, he inadvertently sparked a fire that Konate resolved he would keep burning until the end of the season.
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'He has a playing philosophy that's a bit different — he's more focused on build-up play and holding onto the ball a bit more,' Konate says of the Dutchman. 'But he didn't ask me to change anything specifically.
'I didn't start the first match of the season, but I came on at half-time. From that point on, the objective in my head was clear: I wanted to win everything this season and leave no stone unturned. Give nobody a chance, whether that's the rivals for my position or my opponents. And that's pretty much what happened.
'I'm very happy with the season we had. Even though we would have liked to go a bit further in the Champions League. We can be sad about that, but it came during a period when we weren't at our best and a lot of fatigue had built up. In the end, we're happy to have ended up with the Premier League.'
From the title-sealing 5-1 thrashing of Tottenham to the trophy presentation at Anfield on the season's final day, the sun seemed to be permanently shining on Liverpool in the campaign's closing weeks, only for darkness to descend during their end-of-season parade when a car ploughed into supporters in the city centre, leaving 109 people injured and four people in hospital, according to the latest police statement. A 53-year-old local man, Paul Doyle, has been charged over the incident.
A week on from the awful events of May 26, the sense of shock is still palpable in Konate's voice.
'We felt disappointment, sadness, fear,' he says. 'Because everything had gone perfectly. And then this tragedy had to happen.
'We felt the tension for a few hours, even a few days, because we didn't know what the casualty list was. We were really worried that people might have died. Thank God, there were no deaths, but there were lots of injuries. I wish them all a very quick recovery.
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'That's the most important thing. And I hope nobody will be scarred for life by this tragedy. It's sad, because we'd had a magnificent time with everyone and it ended up being spoilt. The fact nobody died was a comfort. But people were still injured, and that's what's still on our minds. I hope they'll all be OK.'
At Liverpool's training complex in Kirkby, planning for next season is well underway. Konate already knows he will have a new partner alongside him on the right side of defence after Jeremie Frimpong was brought in from Germany's Bayer Leverkusen to replace the Real Madrid-bound Trent Alexander-Arnold. Konate is a fan of the ultra-attacking Netherlands international and is confident he will quickly find his feet.
'I think the coach's instructions to him will be clear because we'll do lots of video work,' he says. 'The fact he's signed for us means he must have spoken to the coach a lot, so he'll know what the coach expects from him.
'It'll be different with him compared to Trent. That's for sure, because they're different players. But I'm happy for him. He's a good person, very funny, and I wish him every happiness at Liverpool when he arrives. I have no worries about him.'
Konate watched the first half of the Champions League final with some of his France team-mates in the Clairefontaine dining room before retiring to his room to watch the second half alone. Although PSG were representing France, the presence in the Inter ranks of two French internationals obliged those watching to show a measure of restraint.
Or at least to attempt to.
'People weren't shouting when PSG scored,' Konate says. 'To be completely honest, I couldn't tell you who was supporting who.' A short pause. 'OK, for some players, I know! But we had compatriots on each side, so we just wanted to watch a great match and enjoy the moment as a group.
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'To be honest, it was hard to choose. Of course, I'm from Paris and my whole family supports PSG. That's nothing new — everyone knows that. At the same time, I was at the same (Sochaux) academy as Marcus Thuram and I've played with (his Inter team-mate) Benjamin Pavard with France. Particularly Marcus, because I've known him since I was 15. I wanted him to be happy.
'I was just thinking, 'Let the best team win.' But I admit I sided a bit more with PSG because I'm very good friends with Ousmane (Dembele) and with the season he's having, we knew if he won the Champions League, it'd take him closer to the Ballon d'Or.
'For a guy like him, who's received so much criticism, who's had so many injuries, who's been on such a long journey, the opportunity to win that individual trophy is everything that I could wish for him.'
While Dembele's role in PSG's triumph has enhanced his claim to the Ballon d'Or, the standout French performer on the night was Desire Doue. Konate has not played much football with the former Rennes forward, who turned 20 on Tuesday, but he likes everything he has seen from him.
'His performance was a dream,' Konate says. 'I'm extremely happy for him, because when he signed for PSG, he had to tiptoe in a bit. There's the pressure, the need to adapt, so it always takes a bit of time.
'There was a turning point in January, when the coach (Luis Enrique) started showing more faith in him. The appearances he made off the bench against us, and the fact he scored the last penalty (in the shootout at Anfield) gave him an exceptional confidence boost.
'Since then, he's just been the player he is, because he has huge qualities. He has great natural physical qualities and he's already very mature in terms of his football. Plus, he has technical proficiency that is way above average. And he has a healthy lifestyle. I tend to observe people and I notice if people pay attention to what they eat or if they do a lot of gym work.
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'But scoring two goals and providing an assist in a Champions League final… I don't think he'll have slept much since!'
Doue is one of several young attacking players France coach Didier Deschamps has brought into his squad as he builds towards next year's World Cup. PSG winger Bradley Barcola, 22, and Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, 23, have impressed recently, while 21-year-old Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki could make his hotly-anticipated senior debut in Thursday's Nations League semi-final against European champions Spain.
'They bring a lot of quality and a lot of freshness,' says Konate, who at 26 is already acquiring the air of an elder statesman within the squad. 'If the coach has picked them, it's because they can add something extra to the squad. Rayan has only just arrived, so we shouldn't put too much pressure on him, but I have no worries about him, to be completely honest.
'Doue, I think we saw when he came on against Croatia (in the Nations League quarter-finals in March) the huge qualities he has and the great confidence in himself that he has. Olise arrived a little while ago and we've all seen his qualities, whether it's from set pieces or technically in open play.
'There's now lots of competition for those positions, and that's good. Because when there's competition, no one can afford to ease up.'
First capped at senior level in June 2022, Konate spent the whole of last summer's European Championship on the bench before starting all but one of the autumn's Nations League group games, captaining France to a 3-1 win over Italy at San Siro in Milan. He then lost his place to Dayot Upamecano after a shaky first-half display in the first leg of that quarter-final away to Croatia, who won the game 2-0.
With both Upamecano and William Saliba absent through injury, Konate is expected to start tonight in the German city of Stuttgart, when France will seek to avenge last summer's 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
Deschamps is entering the final 12 months of his glittering France tenure. The 56-year-old announced in January that he will step down after next year's World Cup following 14 years at the helm, and Konate is determined to give his coach the best possible send-off.
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'Fourteen years with the national team is exceptional,' he says. 'Most of the players who are here have grown up with Deschamps at the head of the France team. In 2012 (when Deschamps was appointed), I was 13. So I hadn't even joined an academy. I was living in the 11th (arrondissement; a district of northeastern Paris) and playing (youth football) for Paris FC. And today he's my coach in the France national team!
'We know all good things come to an end, but his record is magnificent. The best way to thank him and to say goodbye would be to make sure we finish on a good note.'
Whether it be repaying Deschamps with a fitting farewell in the United States next summer or going a step further under Slot with Liverpool, Konate is setting himself up for a big 2026.