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Liverpool centre-half Ibrahima Konate insists that the Merseyside giants can battle for honours on at least two fronts next season, and that a even Premier League title challenge in 2023/24 could be in the works for the struggling Reds.
Jurgen Klopp’s side came within a hair’s breadth of lifting for pieces of silverware last season, though Liverpool have been well off the pace this year and they look set to miss out on Champions League qualification for the first time under the German coach.
Having dined at European football’s top table in each of Klopp’s six full seasons in charge and reached three finals during that period, missing out on Champions League football seems unthinkable, though Konate says Liverpool will have plenty to play for next term, even if they do finish outside the top four.
“Let’s say we are unfortunate not to quite make it into the top four”, said the Frenchman in the lead-up to Liverpool’s test at Leeds on Monday evening
“That still leaves us with two massive things to go for: the league and the Europa League, which we might be taking part in. It is a big incentive to go on and do something big so why not go for that league title in a season like that.”
Liverpool’s dramatic collapse
The 2022/23 campaign has been a litany of disastrous moments for Liverpool who went from quadruple to contenders to also-rans inside the space of a few months.
The Reds exited the Carabao Cup at the Last 16 stage to Man City in December, before they limped out of the FA Cup in the 4th Round to Brighton a month later, having made the finals of both competitions last year.
In late February, Liverpool were dismantled by Real Madrid at home in the Champions League’s Round of 16, losing 5-2 at Anfield in the first-leg before succumbing to another defeat (1-0) in Madrid shortly after.
In the Premier League, Liverpool are all the way down in eighth position and are currently closer to the division’s bottom half than they are to the top four.
With the financial windfall from competing in the Champions League likely to have an impact on the club’s spending power in the summer, Liverpool have also publicly exited the race to sign Jude Bellingham – a player many of their supporters thought was nailed on to join from Dortmund in the summer.
Few would have envisaged such a regression from Liverpool this term in what has been a nightmarish season.
Konate says Reds will remain motivated
Despite their incredible drop in standards, French international defender Ibrahima Konate insists Liverpool will be as motivated as ever next season and that winning multiple trophies will be the target again.
“Will we struggle for motivation? It will be just the opposite,” said Konate
“It will be almost an even bigger motivation – super motivated.”
“As a young player, I have had some tough moments to deal with already,’ he continued
“Losing two massive finals was hard. Hopefully at the end of my career, I’ll be able to look back and say: “look I had some disappointments that year but it gave me the strength and motivation to go on.”
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