Ibrahima Konaté on Liverpool’s fifth-place finish: “It’s down to us players, we screwed up.”

Liverpool centre-back and France international Ibrahima Konaté (24) gave a wide-ranging interview to RMC Sport on Tuesday, with the Paris-born defender is currently on international duty with Les Bleus. The Didier Deschamps-led side will face Gibraltar on Friday and Greece on Monday for their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. Konaté is expected to partner former Leipzig teammate Dayot Upamecano (24) at the heart of France’s defence once again.

The 24-year-old centre-back has opened up on Liverpool’s mediocre season in the Premier League. The Reds finished fifth, meaning they missed out on qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2016. “We had a rough start to the season“, admitted Konaté, who pointed out that Liverpool finished strongly. “We said to ourselves that the Champions League was the goal, and I think we won like ten games from our last 11 matches [actually seven wins out a possible nine].” But it was not enough for the Jürgen Klopp-led outfit, who will return to playing Europa League football next season. “It’s down to us players, we screwed up.“

However, Konaté sees little interest in dwelling on the past. Now is the time for Liverpool to bounce back and the Frenchman is up for it. “We need to remember the mistakes we’ve done and think about next year. I am sure it will be a very good season.” Liverpool’s work for next season has already started with the smart acquisition of Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister (24). A more than welcome addition to an ageing squad that Naby Keïta, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Roberto Firmino are no longer part of. “We have to replace them. If not, what do we do? Do we play with an understaffed squad lacking in quality? You can’t rely on youth at this level. I’m sure the boss and the recruitment team know we need new players.“

GFFN | Bastien Cheval