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Ipswich victory highlights the crucial role of two Liverpool quarterbacks
Defensive duo Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate enjoyed a fantastic outing for Liverpool, dominating the game against Ipswich Town. Despite conceding a late goal due to complacency, Liverpool secured an outstanding 4-1 victory over Ipswich in the Premier League.
The Reds remain at the top of the Premier League after securing three points, maintaining a six-point lead over Arsenal. Konate’s performance calmed the fans after he showed a little struggle earlier this month, having rushed back from his injury.
The Frenchman suffered a bad knee injury in late November after a malicious tackle from Real Madrid’s struggling forward Endrick. As Konate recouped from his injury, Arne Slot deployed Joe Gomez as the defensive partner with Van Dijk for Liverpool.
The Reds have conceded plenty of goals since December, contrary to their supreme defensive performances earlier this season. Liverpool needed their goalkeeper Alisson Becker, captain Van Dijk and Konate to have a strong performance which the trio delivered against Ipswich.
Liverpool conceded a late goal due to complacency after they secured a convincing four-goal lead against the struggling visitors. They let Harvey Elliott mark one of Ipswich’s tallest players in Jacob Greaves during a 90th-minute corner which badly backfired.
Nevertheless, there are far too many positives than one late negative as Van Dijk and Konate dictated the whole game. The duo acted as the quarterbacks, helping their teammates create a web in the opposition’s half while dominating the possession.
The style of play pinned Ipswich deep into their half as they settled to play a low block. Furthermore, the two centre-backs completely negated Liam Delap’s influence by regularly out-muscling him.
Statistical analysis of Virgil van Dijk’s performance
Fotmob revealed that Van Dijk completed the most passes (132) in the game and was the most accurate passer (97% to play 45 minutes or more. The Dutchman had 142 touches with one touch inside the opposition box along with 28 passes into the final third.
Van Dijk made an 88% accurate long ball (eight), displaying his distribution skills from the high backline to stretch Ipswich. The Liverpool captain’s game management helps the team conserve their energy which is essential due to the heavy fixture schedule.
Defensively, Van Dijk made 100% successful tackles, two clearances and one clearance from the header. Furthermore, the 33-year-old completed three defensive actions and made four recoveries during the game to assert his dominance. The Dutch captain also won six duels and earned one foul to keep the Ipswich attack quiet in counterattacks.
Statistical analysis of Ibrahima Konate’s performance
Meanwhile, Konate earned an assist while registering as the most fouled player in the game (three times). Furthermore, the 25-year-old won the most duels (12) in the game despite facing Liam Delap who is highly reputed for his physical presence.
The France international created two chances while enjoying 93% passing accuracy (125 passes) and 139 touches during the game. Furthermore, Konate made 21 passes into the final third and played two accurate long balls.
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The 25-year-old is still recovering from the aftermath of his knee injury as is visible with 40% successful tackles (five). Nevertheless, the Frenchman showed his class with one clearance and one clearance through header while completing seven defensive actions. Furthermore, Konate made six recoveries during the game to negate any threat from the right side, working cohesively with Trent Alexander-Arnold.
