Ibrahima Konate has been an amazing signing for Real Madridd so far this season. He has gotten injured once, but has yet to miss a game due to his fitness issues, and has generally been rock-solid at the back.
Even in games Real Madrid have lost or haven't played well defensively in, Konate has been one of Real Madrid's better performers in that position. So far, he has played alongside two central defenders in Antonio Rudiger and Dean Huijsen, and even though the results and experiences have been wildly different alongside the defenders, Konate has generally worked well with whoever has been around him.
There was one small blip during the Roma match where he was not really up to the task, but even that was down to Jose Mourinho throwing so many build-up responsibilities onto his shoulders that he simply was not equipped for.
Real Madrid have found a gem in Ibrahima Konate
The defensive side of things were decent in that game, but they have been so much better for Real Madrid in other games. It seems like Real Madrid have found a proper cornerstone to have in their defense, because the floor of this entire defense has been raised tremendously.
Things they were struggling with last season - physicality, pace, fundamentals, and good decision-making - are now being provided for by Konate. There have been blips, and there will be times in the future where Konate's performances won't be great, but the number of good performances he will have shown by then would far outweigh the bad ones.
Real Madrid fans were really worried about Konate's form in the last season coming into this one, and it made complete sense. He did not have a great time at Liverpool, but neither did the rest of the squad. He was also battling a couple of big personal issues - the death of his friend and teammate, Diogo Jota, as well as the death of his father - both of which are bound to have an impact on his performance, which would have psychologically become a secondary part of his life, and rightfully so.
However, the hope is that he is finding peace and improving mentally first and foremost, and the good thing is that, the performances Real Madrid fans have seen in recent weeks are indicative of exactly that. Konate has been an amazing player for this team so far, and hopefully, he gets even better with the return of Eder Militao.
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