Though they currently remain in the Champions League qualification places, they are a mammoth 14 points behind current Premier League leaders, Arsenal.
Wheels have fallen off at Liverpool this season
That's clearly not acceptable in any event; however, what makes the gap even more remarkable is just how easy the Reds won the English top-flight last season.
Arne Slot's side had that air of invincibility about them that only the best teams do, and the way that they took on all comers was something to behold at times.
Given that the Dutchman was taking over from Jurgen Klopp, and many thought the job a poisoned chalice for that reason, his opening campaign couldn't have gone any better.
They didn't just win the league by 10 points; they galloped to the title, and then the wheels fell off.
Konate has looked lost at times
Dare we say that Liverpool have looked pretty ordinary for long periods during the current season, and a defence that only shipped 41 goals in the whole of last season has already let 29 in during 2025/26.
Virgil van Dijk hasn't been at his best, but can normally be relied upon to dig his side out of a hole when needed, whilst his central defensive partner, Ibrahima Konate, has looked lost at times.
That might be something to do with ongoing contract talks that look to have failed once again.
According to reports, the most recent meeting between player and club hierarchy showed that both were still some way apart in terms of what might be considered an acceptable deal, and one that satisfies the desires of all parties.
Talks ongoing for 16 months
Discussions have been ongoing for the past 16 months, and with the French international able to leave the club for free when his contract expires at the end of June, time is clearly of the essence if Liverpool wants to retain Konate's services.
The sticking point appears only to be money.
It's understood that even if the player accepts that he hasn't quite provided his usual excellence this season, he believes that the standards previously set by him during his time at Anfield qualify him for a handsome uplift in his current remuneration of £70,000 per week.
To give some perspective to his argument, van Dijk currently earns £350,000 per week, and whilst Konate and his advisors would accept he won't get parity with his captain, it's clear that they don't see that he should be too far off.
Simply put, Richard Hughes, who is leading negotiations for the club, isn't willing to pay what is being demanded, whilst also believing that the club can't afford to let the 26-year-old, who should still have his best playing years ahead of him, leave for nothing.
Liverpool's reluctance is understandable
When looking at Konate's stats, however, Hughes' reluctance is perfectly understandable.
Though he's made more than double the tackles of his defensive partner this season (38 to van Dijk's 16), the Frenchman's 55.3% success rate is only slightly higher than the Dutchman's.
Konate has also lost three times as many challenges as van Dijk, and only 571 of his 1,733 passes have been forward, thereby putting a slightly different spin on an otherwise more than reasonable 89.5% pass completion statistic.
Indeed, when breaking his passing down further, Konate has made just 56 accurate long passes compared to the captain's 133.
A pass that might be termed a 'launch' - defined as a long, high ball played into space or into a specific area for teammates to chase or challenge for - has troubled the defender in 25/26 too, with just five of the 30 attempted being successful.
In a team arguably renowned for their accuracy both in the short and long passing game, that clearly isn't good enough.
A quick decision needs to be made
Even if you take into account his aerial excellence - 107 duels won from 142 attempted - and 176 ground one-on-ones successfully won from 254 attempted, you could argue that these figures are a prerequisite for any elite defender in the modern game, and the baseline expected by their club.
It's clear that Konate would get more money than he's currently earning should he decide to move on; however, Liverpool has admitted that they are amenable to bringing his salary into line with what might be considered commensurate with others in his position.
However, the unwillingness to put the player in the same financial bracket as van Dijk, Mo Salah, et al appears to be what has irked Konate and his representatives.
Urgent decisions, therefore, need to be made by both sides if the association is to continue past June 30 this year.
