'I became crazy' - Ibrahima Konate shuts down Michael Owen claim and reveals Liverpool hope
- mrwedwards
- 15 hours ago
- 3 min read
Ibrahima Konate has become the latest Liverpool star to dismiss the notion that the Reds have not enjoyed a special season even if they win the Premier League
Arne Slot’s side lost in last month’s League Cup final to Newcastle United, and also suffered a premature Champions League as they lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the round-of-16.
Meanwhile, Liverpool also suffered a shock FA Cup fourth round exit at the hands of Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle
Michael Owen is among those to question Liverpool’s achievements this year, though captain Virgil van Dijk shut down such a suggestion while Arne Slot has also laughed off the theory.
Konate has now also debunked such a claim, insisting all those of a Reds persuasion would have picked being in the position the club are in now over still competing on all four fronts but with no guarantee of lifting any silverware
Konate
“If you asked every player of every fan what do you want,”
“What you will pick, ‘play for every trophy but you don’t know what you will get at the end of the season or maybe a chance to win the Premier League’, I think all of them would say yes (to) maybe a chance to win the Premier League.
We don’t have to listen to the media and think 'oh, because we didn’t win the FA Cup, the Carabao (Cup) and we are out of the Champions League that we had a bad season.'
“Nobody was expecting us to be where we are today. We just have to do everything and give our everything every game until the end of the season, game after game.
“And if we achieve something special, everyone will be very happy.”
Joining Liverpool from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021, Konate has already won both the League Cup and FA Cup with the Reds.
Konate admits, having narrowly missed out on both the Premier League and Champions League in his maiden season with the club, such losses are motivating him as Slot’s side continue to close in on the title.
“I hope I will win every trophy. Every trophy and another one (this season) as well,”
“This is our target for every player, for the manager, for the staff, for the club, for the fans.
“We know we have 12 points more than Arsenal but we don’t think it’s done.
“We know we have to work a lot and do everything until the end of the season to achieve something special and we work on it every day.
“I was close to winning the Premier League, I was close to winning the Champions League.
“Every single game I play this season for Liverpool, I just remember how close I was to winning this but I didn’t.
“At the end, nobody remembers this moment. For people to remember this, you have to win it. And that’s why we have to be focussed and ready.”
Meanwhile, having experienced a Liverpool open top bus parade after winning both the League Cup and FA Cup in 2022, Konate is well aware that the Reds' celebrations if they win the title this season will be a different level entirely
Konate said
Not one of us, not even the players who won the Premier League in 2022, don’t know what will happen if we win it,"
"This will be special for everybody in this club.
“Just when we won the Carabao and FA Cup, I was like, ‘what is this?!’ I think I became crazy, I was like ‘what is this?! This is crazy!’
“And our physio Chris Morgan said to me, ‘if we win the Premier League, you have no idea what will happen.’ And I was like, ‘what do you mean?! I hope we will not die!’
“But no, this will be very special. It’s not done and we just have to give everything.”