Step aside Milos Kerkez, Micah Richards says another Liverpool defender is starting to ‘worry’ him

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Liverpool fell to their first defeat of the season over the weekend, as they succumbed to a late winner for Crystal Palace.

The pre-match talk was dominated by the two sides being in form, with the Reds winning all of their Premier League fixtures heading into the tie, while the Eagles were 17 unbeaten across all competitions to that point.

Crystal Palace took the lead through Ismaila Sarr, who poked home from close range after a corner fell his way.

Liverpool thought they snatched a point as Federico Chiesa found the back of the net just before the regulation 90 minutes were up.

However, there was to be another twist in the tale, as Eddie Nketiah scored late for Crystal Palace, handing them all three points.

It’s a first defeat in the league for Arne Slot this season, as questions continue to be raised surrounding the backline.

A fragile defence has been a problem for Liverpool so far, with a few questioning the signing of Milos Kerkez early on.

However, there is another star who Micah Richards has pinpointed as a potential problem.

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Micah Richards was left concerned by Ibrahima Konate after Liverpool’s defeat to Crystal Palace

The early-season form of Liverpool has been good, but there have been questions surrounding their performances on the pitch.

With leads thrown away and far from convincing attacking displays, the Reds have been bailed out on a few occasions by some late goals.

This time, it went against them, but there are still question marks over the defence, and for Richards in particular, Ibrahima Konate.

Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, the former Man City defender said: “Konate is starting to worry me a little bit.

“Him and Van Dijk have been a good partnership, but his individual errors at this moment in time are just making the backline look a bit nervy.

“You know Liverpool always look good in defence, Van Dijk always marshals the backline, but they give Palace too many opportunities for no actual reason, it was just being sloppy, and that is so unlike Liverpool.”

Given Giovanni Leoni’s recent knee injury, there are very few options that Liverpool could call upon if they felt a need to replace Konate soon.

It leaves Slot in an awkward position, while the hierarchy has some tough decisions of its own to make soon enough.

• READ MORE: Arne Slot suggests £34m Liverpool star was to blame for Crystal Palace’s last-gasp winner

Liverpool will have Ibrahima Konate contract dilemma

With the transfer window closed, Liverpool will be addressing their next steps in building the squad for the future.

Part of that now will surround contracts, with a few players entering the final year or two at Anfield.

Included in that is Konate.

The French defender is a free agent in 2026, unless a new deal is put on the table and signed, though there is no clear sign of that happening soon.

Real Madrid have reported interest in Konate, which may only strengthen after William Saliba’s new contract at Arsenal.

It leaves Liverpool in a position where they may have to pay out to keep Konate, but there is a concern there if he isn’t performing at a high enough standard.

It remains to be seen whether the Reds will be willing to do that or not, but there are a few big months ahead for his future.