Ibrahima Konate reveals what he and Virgil van Dijk want to achieve at Liverpool

Ibrahima Konate has established himself arsenic Virgil van Dijk's antiaircraft spouse nether Arne Slot and helium says they some privation to go this 1 happening astatine Liverpool

Ibrahima Konate claims helium and Virgil van Dijk privation to beryllium “the champion antiaircraft concern successful the world”.

Konate and van Dijk person helped Liverpool execute the meanest defence successful the Premier League and they person conceded conscionable 21 goals. The France centre-half has fought disconnected contention astatine Anfield to becomes Van Dijk’s trusted spouse nether caput manager Arne Slot and helium says helium has learned truthful overmuch from the Dutch star.

Konate, 25, watched van Dijk erstwhile helium was astatine RB Leipzig, but helium didn’t realise however bully helium was until helium began moving with him astatine Liverpool successful 2021. He says the Reds skipper is capable to get wrong the heads of absorption attackers and marque them judge they cannot bushed him.

“What a defender!” helium said. “I deliberation if we speech astir him and what he’s done, it’s unbelievable. I person a precise bully narration with Virgil connected the transportation and extracurricular of the pitch. When I came present arsenic a 21-year-old, helium gave maine a batch of proposal and helped maine with my adaptation here.

“When I was successful Leipzig I watched immoderate games of Liverpool and I didn’t realise however bully helium was. Then erstwhile I came here, sometimes I’d think, ‘no, how’s this possible?’.

“Now I deliberation due to the fact that he’s excessively good, immoderate strikers spot Virgil and are conscionable thinking, ‘I’ve nary accidental against him’. On the transportation I request him and I deliberation it’s the aforesaid mode for him, hopefully! I cognize however bully helium tin beryllium for maine and we conscionable enactment unneurotic and effort to beryllium the champion concern successful the world.”

Liverpool tin support their cleanable play astatine Anfield connected Thursday if they tin overturn Tottenham’s 1-0 pb from the Carabao Cup semi-final archetypal limb and instrumentality to the last astatine Wembley connected March 16. The Reds are chasing glory connected 4 fronts and Konate says they indispensable enactment “even harder” to support their quest for silverware.

“We’ve had a large commencement and everything is good for america astatine the moment, adjacent successful the Champions League,” helium said. “But I deliberation the astir important happening is that we commencement again and we enactment adjacent harder due to the fact that we’re into the 2nd portion of the play now.

“We person to enactment a batch due to the fact that everyone wants to bushed us, truthful we conscionable person to support going each the mode to the end. “It’ll beryllium precise hard and we person to enactment so, truthful hard conscionable to support going and stay calm.”

Konate has his eyes connected lifting a archetypal Premier League rubric due to the fact that it is the lone home trophy helium has not yet won and Liverpool are six points wide of Arsenal, with a crippled successful hand.

“Of course, this rubric is the lone 1 that’s been missing betwixt my hands successful England and I truly anticipation this play we volition execute that,” helium said. “We cognize each our fans are down america and we person to bash everything we tin to execute this.”

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