Dejan Lovren

[Jim Lahey]

Can't help but like the guy to be honest but we could defo do with a more consistent first choice partner for big Virg. I'm not a big fan of Matip at all and like Lovren, he's always seems to be picking up little injuries. Hope Lovren stays as a squad player if we buy a new centre back

[sir roger]

I'd certainly keep him but swap Matip for a better centre back and have VvD & one of the other two as the main guys with Gomez & Klavan as back up.

 

To widen the conversation though , I do think it is very easy to say ' Get a great centre half ' but who is a guarantee of this? I think we're in an era of not many good ones around. Otamendi looked as near a given as anyone with his stats and status in Spain but he looks very ordinary & that is before we look at the efforts and prices of the likes of Stones , Laporte and the lad on loan at Everton , and that is just at Man City who worryingly play a similar open , high line system as us.

 

So while it is easy to bandy names like Koulibaly & De Vrij , there is no guarantee they won't

' Have a mistake in them ' either.

 

It maybe explains why Jurgen was happy to wait a good while for VvD.

[El Rojo]

It maybe explains why Jurgen was happy to wait a good while for VvD.

 

He was pathetic for their goal, but there wasn't even a recovery phase. Just got on with everything as usual, organised everybody around him and completely dominated aerially at corners and free-kicks. That £75m looks smaller every week, and will probably look even smaller when Guardiola and co go splashing about their billions in the summer.

[Baltar]

He gets bonus points for this aswell :D

 

Unfortunately the pic is fake. The original does not have Coutinho in it. Would have been funny if he really posted that!

[dockers_strike]

I'd certainly keep him but swap Matip for a better centre back and have VvD & one of the other two as the main guys with Gomez & Klavan as back up.

 

To widen the conversation though , I do think it is very easy to say ' Get a great centre half ' but who is a guarantee of this? I think we're in an era of not many good ones around. Otamendi looked as near a given as anyone with his stats and status in Spain but he looks very ordinary & that is before we look at the efforts and prices of the likes of Stones , Laporte and the lad on loan at Everton , and that is just at Man City who worryingly play a similar open , high line system as us.

 

So while it is easy to bandy names like Koulibaly & De Vrij , there is no guarantee they won't

' Have a mistake in them ' either.

 

It maybe explains why Jurgen was happy to wait a good while for VvD.

 

This all day.

[Grinch]

I'd certainly keep him but swap Matip for a better centre back and have VvD & one of the other two as the main guys with Gomez & Klavan as back up.

 

To widen the conversation though , I do think it is very easy to say ' Get a great centre half ' but who is a guarantee of this? I think we're in an era of not many good ones around. Otamendi looked as near a given as anyone with his stats and status in Spain but he looks very ordinary & that is before we look at the efforts and prices of the likes of Stones , Laporte and the lad on loan at Everton , and that is just at Man City who worryingly play a similar open , high line system as us.

 

So while it is easy to bandy names like Koulibaly & De Vrij , there is no guarantee they won't

' Have a mistake in them ' either.

 

It maybe explains why Jurgen was happy to wait a good while for VvD.

 

I wish Dejan was as 'ordinary' as Stones and Otamendi.   Good defenders who play for the team with the best defence in the league who like VVD don't yet their errors go to their head and act like a complete clown for the rest of the half.

[aRdja]

I’m going to have echo the a lot of the comments that he’s a better defender than Matip, therefore of the two, he should be the one we keep for next season. Having said that, I still maintain he’s not good enough to be a long term starter for us. As a regular partner to Van Dijk next season, I want someone who’s strong, dominant in the air and comfortable on the ball. Experience in the league would be a bonus.

[Numero Veinticinco]

It's a wonder what a bit of form does for people's opinions. Mario is a better for allergy going through a bad run. Lovren is a shut footballer going through a good run.

 

That said, I hope it lasts forever. Playing well at the moment. Deserves his spot over Matip.

[Jay86]

Next season CBs for me all depends on how highly rated Gomez is by Klopp, if he sees him as the long term partner for Van Dijk I think we’ll go with Lovren until Gomez is ready, possibly a Karius/Mignolet type scenario where Gomez takes over mid season I don’t think he’ll spend big if it means blocking Gomez path to the first team but if Gomez isn’t the future then I think we’ll buy big to replace Lovren. I think Lovren is miles ahead of Matip at the moment for Van Dijk’s partner. If Gomez is going to be a CB next season then I think one of Matip or Lovren will be sold on. You only really need four CB in the squad:

 

Van Dijk

Gomez? Or new signing

Lovren or Matip

And keep Klavan because he’s a very good backup to have in the squad, he never lets us down and doesn’t seem to be the type to complain at not getting enough game time plus he wouldn’t command much of a fee so it would make sense to sell Lovren or Matip for say £20m and reinvest it.

[JustTosh]

After the two matches against ManCity some of you good folks are still asking for Lovren to be replaced. Are you on crack? Surely there’s something in there twisting your carousel brains.

 

The catalyst ‘s name is of course Virgil van Dijk. Pre VVD uncertainty and lack of leadership crept into our team as some kind of disease. That’s hard to fix, and we couldn’t pre VVD. After VVD, however, our defense has been immense. From LB to RB two CD’s in between – just superb. I honestly think we’ve got the best defense in the league now, even better than shitcoat’s boys. Dejan Lovren has been nothing but terrific.

 

In fact our whole defense is sorted for next season. No need to bring in any replacements. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.

[INTORRESTING]

He is getting better . He needs to deliver consistently and stop talking to the press though.

[Numero Veinticinco]

After the two matches against ManCity some of you good folks are still asking for Lovren to be replaced. Are you on crack?

No, just the ability to remember further back than last week for evidence of years of shit.

[El Rojo]

He is getting better . He needs to deliver consistently and stop talking to the press though.

 

Just came on to post that. He's getting deserved praise from all quarters for Tuesday, yet still he feels the need to go off giving it the big one about how he was shouting in the dressing room at his team-mates at half-time to get them to wake up.

 

He just loves making rods for his own back.

 

Jurgen should tell him to keep playing the way he is, but to shut the fuck up.

[JustTosh]

No, just the ability to remember further back than last week for evidence of years of shit.

Lovren is a good defender. Does he make mistakes? Yes, he does, just like all defenders in the world he does.

 

What annoys me is every time Lovren errors, it’s lynching time. Every man and his dog seem to regard it at some kind of civic duty to scream abuse at the man.

 

Last night VVD made an error, free kick or not, result was 1-0 to MCity. Where’s the lynch gang? Had his name been Dejan Lovren, however….

[INTORRESTING]

Lovren has mostly been a calamity so it will take a lot of time to gain the confidence of a lot of fans.

 

So much of football is psychological, everyone shits it when he gets the ball and this transmits to the players on the pitch.

[Numero Veinticinco]

Lovren is a good defender. Does he make mistakes? Yes, he does, just like all defenders in the world he does.

 

What annoys me is every time Lovren errors, it’s lynching time. Every man and his dog seem to regard it at some kind of civic duty to scream abuse at the man.

 

Last night VVD made an error, free kick or not, result was 1-0 to MCity. Where’s the lynch gang? Had his name been Dejan Lovren, however….

Do you not see the difference between being world class and making your first real error after coming in and making the defense dramatically better, and being shit for years and making loads of errors. It's like, if Mo misses a chance, you don't say he's a shit goalscorer. If N'Gog misses one... It's part of a pattern.

[aRdja]

Lovren has mostly been a calamity so it will take a lot of time to gain the confidence of a lot of fans.

 

So much of football is psychological, everyone shits it when he gets the ball and this transmits to the players on the pitch.

Agreed. But I think two and a half years should be enough IMO. He’s been quite good since Klopp arrived. No accident he’s the only survivor from Rodgers era.

[JustTosh]

Do you not see the difference between being world class and making your first real error after coming in and making the defense dramatically better, and being shit for years and making loads of errors. It's like, if Mo misses a chance, you don't say he's a shit goalscorer. If N'Gog misses one... It's part of a pattern.

VVD is world class. Can’t put the same label on Lovren, not yet anyway.

 

Still, his performances after VVD came in have all been terrific, not just the two outstanding performances against “the best team in the world”.

 

Defending isn’t a one person thing, it’s a unit thing. The uncertainty everyone could sense pre VVD burdened us all, Lovren probably more than any. He was desperately low on self esteem, not much help from us the fans to help him get his confidence back was it?

 

We were a mess defensively, Lovren couldn’t fix it. Agree. VVD could. Agree. Now with the mess sorted, confidence back, Lovren is playing well, game after game. Let’s get off his back for a minute. At least give him the benefit of the doubt.

[INTORRESTING]

Agreed. But I think two and a half years should be enough IMO. He’s been quite good since Klopp arrived. No accident he’s the only survivor from Rodgers era.

He has not been good for 2.5 years . More like 2.5 months!

[Numero Veinticinco]

VVD is world class. Can’t put the same label on Lovren, not yet anyway.

 

Still, his performances after VVD came in have all been terrific, not just the two outstanding performances against “the best team in the world”.

 

Defending isn’t a one person thing, it’s a unit thing. The uncertainty everyone could sense pre VVD burdened us all, Lovren probably more than any. He was desperately low on self esteem, not much help from us the fans to help him get his confidence back was it?

 

We were a mess defensively, Lovren couldn’t fix it. Agree. VVD could. Agree. Now with the mess sorted, confidence back, Lovren is playing well, game after game. Let’s get off his back for a minute. At least give him the benefit of the doubt.

I agree, defending is a unit thing. He, in my view, makes the unit weaker. Has he been playing well for a bit? Yes! We've seen it before with him. He's not a terrible player in general but has certain weaknesses that will raise their head. He excels when in a defence that is as deep as we were against City. He dramatically doesn't at other times.

 

Ah, maybe I'm just scarred from his time here. I'd sooner go and get somebody who is a better match for our side when we are open.

[aRdja]

He has not been good for 2.5 years . More like 2.5 months!

He’s been quite good I think. Nowhere near elite, but probably the best performing centre half before Van Dijk arrived. To me he’s on par with a lot of centre halfs starting for the top teams; Phil Jones, Smalling, Mustafi, Stones.

[sh#t waffle]

I'm not sure I have ever read fainter praise than 'he's on a par with Mustafi'.

[INTORRESTING]

He’s been quite good I think. Nowhere near elite, but probably the best performing centre half before Van Dijk arrived. To me he’s on par with a lot of centre halfs starting for the top teams; Phil Jones, Smalling, Mustafi, Stones.

I think that's fair.

I would throw everything at Alderweireld and a top keeper and then try and win this bastard league.

[Aventus]

Who was his CB partner at Southampton?

He was brilliant when he was there that's why we spent so much on him.

 

People are quick to give attackers fair judgement for playing badly in a team that doesn't suit their strengths, you could easily rattle off a long list of forwards that are universally rated as brilliant but at the same time say there's no point in us buying them because he wouldn't suit us/a klopp team.

 

The same might apply to defenders, but people don't see it that way.

The way I see it Lovren has some massive weaknesses but Virgils strengths can cancel them out, they can compliment each other without individually being world class, that's what this team is about isn't it?

[aws]

Depends on funds available. If we've only got cash available for two or three top players (plus Keita) I'd rather us spend it providing depth further forward (and maybe a keeper) rather than on the back four.