Frenchman Ibrahima Konaté made his Real Madrid debut last Saturday in a thrilling 2-1 win over Espanyol in the second round of the Spanish league. His performance, though, appears to be raising doubts inside the Santiago Bernabéu.
Konaté joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer after his Liverpool contract expired.
Spanish newspaper "AS" reported that Konaté flashed promising potential against Espanyol but lacked consistency, with plenty still to develop.
The French defender looked overly confident when building attacks from the back, the report noted, while manager José Mourinho picked him ahead of Antonio Rüdiger, who had put in more training sessions.
AS explained that Konaté started brightly, like the rest of the team, staying composed against Espanyol's rare attacks. His level dropped off as the game wore on. Espanyol's goal came down the right, where the Frenchman was caught out of position, leaving Cala one-on-one and unmarked. He also looked hesitant carrying the ball forward.
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Dean Huijsen appears to have nailed down a first-choice defensive berth for Los Blancos, so the fight for the remaining spot comes down to Konaté and Rüdiger. Mourinho handed him a start after just two weeks of training, but he'll face fierce competition to keep it.
Konaté's display did not fully convince, according to the Spanish paper. His over-confidence cost him possession, and he lacks the passing accuracy from defence that Huijsen offers. Even so, the two form a partnership to build on across the season. Individually, he did well, winning duels and showing a leader's spirit in the chase for victory.
Standing 1.94 metres tall, Konaté bossed the physical battles and won four aerial duels, more than any other Real Madrid player. He was a defensive rock. No one touched the ball more often than him in the match, with 89 touches, and he ran the play from the back, completing 73 of 75 passes for a 97% success rate.
He also ranked as the second-best ball-winner in the Real Madrid side, recovering it five times. His quality was not limited to aerial balls either, adding three successful tackles. The match still exposed some weaknesses, chief among them a loss of concentration.
Real Madrid are preparing for their postponed opening-round La Liga fixture against Real Sociedad, tomorrow, Wednesday, at the Santiago Bernabéu.