Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has delivered a scathing assessment of Liverpool's defensive frailties following their dramatic 3-3 draw with Leeds United, singling out centre-back Ibrahima Konate for being "all over the place".
A Dramatic Collapse at Elland Road
The Sky Sports pundit believes the dejected Liverpool squad will be in a "very dark place" after surrendering a two-goal lead in stoppage time at Elland Road on Saturday, December 7, 2025. The result leaves the reigning Premier League champions languishing in eighth position, a significant ten points behind leaders Arsenal.
Liverpool appeared to be cruising to victory after a quickfire second-half brace from Hugo Ekitike put them 2-0 ahead. However, a resilient Leeds, inspired by a fervent home crowd, mounted a stunning comeback. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's penalty and Anton Stach's leveller pegged Liverpool back, and despite Dominik Szoboszlai restoring the lead, Ao Tanaka struck a 96th-minute equaliser to snatch a point.
Neville's Stinging Critique of Konate and Squad Mentality
Analysing the match on The Gary Neville Podcast, the ex-England defender pinpointed a critical loss of control after manager Arne Slot made substitutions to see out the game. "They’ve created their own problems," Neville stated. "Even at 3-2 you were almost like, 'Something could happen', because you don’t trust them. They’ve lost trust."
He reserved particular criticism for French defender Ibrahima Konate. "I thought Konate and [Virgil] van Dijk did handle the two threats up front aerially really well in the first half," Neville explained. "But the minute that Leeds started to bring on the little players, the players that were a bit more tricky, Konate started to look a little bit all over the place."
Neville described the performance as symptomatic of a wider crisis at Anfield, exacerbated by Mohamed Salah's public attack on Slot after being benched. The Reds have now managed just one win in their last six matches across all competitions.
Slot's Future and a Squad in Crisis
Despite the growing pressure, Neville was adamant that talk of Slot's job security is premature, pointing to the title win just four months ago. "I can’t entertain the idea of Arne Slot and talking about his job. That’s not for me. They won the title four months ago," he said.
However, he acknowledged significant issues, suggesting it may take a transfer window to resolve them. "There’s definitely a problem settling this new team... It might need a couple to leave and a couple to come in to get to where he wants to."
Speaking to the BBC after the match, Slot admitted to a "sense of disbelief" at his team's late capitulation. When pressed on Salah's remarks, the Dutchman replied, "Like I said before the game, we have to accept the situation we are in, and I make my choices based on that."
Neville concluded with a bleak prediction for the squad's morale: "It’s a bad one and they’ll be dejected going back to Liverpool on that coach. They will be in a very dark place. I don’t think they will be in a good place at all."
