Dejan Lovren

[frank the tank]

Yes I agree with that. I just don't see how he can justify playing Lovren.....and if there was a DoF then there is no way Brendan could justify it.

If FSG talk to the likes of dalglish or other "football" people, then they're surely advising them that Lovren is a waste....

[BobTheCharmer]

Yes I agree with that. I just don't see how he can justify playing Lovren.....and if there was a DoF then there is no way Brendan could justify it.

If FSG talk to the likes of dalglish or other "football" people, then they're surely advising them that Lovren is a waste....

Forced which players to play by the DOF? Not sure this is how the system works mate.

[Rigadon]

Yes I agree with that. I just don't see how he can justify playing Lovren.....and if there was a DoF then there is no way Brendan could justify it.

If FSG talk to the likes of dalglish or other "football" people, then they're surely advising them that Lovren is a waste....

Understand your frustration with Lovren but I wouldn't want a DoF dictating which players should be picked - surely that's the manager's job.

Also - love Dalglish (and feel awful saying this) but he's the same guy that convinced FSG to spend £65m on Carroll, Dawning and Charlie Adam. Probably not the best person to advise FSG on the quality/ability of a (modern-day) player

[Shaggy]

Dejan Lovren: I wanted to hide under the table after Liverpool's defeat to West Ham

22:30, 30 AUGUST 2015
BY JAMES PEARCE

Lovren was at fault for the visitor's second goal in the 3-0 defeat at Anfield

Dejan Lovren says he wanted to hide “under the table” after his blunder in Liverpool’s crushing 3-0 defeat to West Ham.

The £20million centre-back held his hands up to the part he played in the Reds suffering their first setback of the season.

The Croatian defender, whose performances in the opening three matches had earned the glowing praise of his manager, saw his careless error punished as Mark Noble netted the Hammers’ second before the break.

Lovren received such a torrent of abuse on social media on Saturday evening that he deleted his Instagram account - but he has vowed to put it behind him and win over his critics.

“I’m the first one who is disappointed with myself,” Lovren said.

“Of course for the first minute after the second goal I wanted to go under the table. What can I do?

“In these moments you have to keep your head up and to play the rest of the game. I tried everything but what can I say? It was a bad decision by me and mistakes happen.

“But it is finished. The game is finished. I’ve forgotten it already. Now it is the national team and in two weeks we have Man United. The gaffer has told me I will start and that gives me confidence." Anyone taking that bait?

Lovren admits he has plenty to prove this season after enduring a poor first year at Anfield following his big money move from Southampton.

He has been selected ahead of Mamadou Sakho to partner Martin Skrtel and the pair had helped Liverpool keep three successive clean sheets prior to the debacle against West Ham.

“Yes, this is a big year for me,” Lovren said.

“I said I needed time to have a full pre-season with my team and this is an important thing for me.

“It’s not just about me and Martin. It is all the team when we defend well, it is all the team when we attack well. It is not just the two central defenders or goalkeeper.

“A game like this, it happens. Mistakes happen and they were cheap goals.

“But I don’t think it will shake myself and the team so we will go again straight away to find our form and win at Man United.”

Liverpool went into the contest buoyed by taking seven points out of the first nine on offer this season.

But Lovren says they never recovered from falling behind inside three minutes when some hesitant defending led to Manuel Lanzini’s opener.

“We didn’t expect to start the game like we did,” he said.

“In the first 10 minutes we conceded an early goal and after my mistake it was a poor performance I would say.

“The early goal, I would not say it killed us but it is disappointing when you start like this.

“Then the second goal also, it is tough to go in at half-time when you’re 2-0 down.

“We tried everything in the second half, we tried to play with three at the back but after the red card it was tough to come back.”

Philippe Coutinho was dismissed for a second yellow card and the little Brazilian will now miss the trip to Old Trafford on September 12.

When Noble also saw red, it was 10 v 10 but Diafra Sakho added a third for West Ham in stoppage time.

Lovren believes Liverpool can take some comfort from the fact that a lot of their top four rivals have also slipped up early in the season.

The Reds, who are level on points with Arsenal, are three points better off than Chelsea and four ahead of Tottenham.

“The other clubs are also losing at home too and we wish we could have taken 10 points from the four games but we didn’t so definitely I’m disappointed,” he said.

“You expect to win, especially at home after the last game against Arsenal.

“We knew it would be a tough game. We knew everyone would be behind the ball, especially in the last 10 but it is not a good enough reason to explain why we didn’t play well.

“We need to keep our heads up in a tough moment.

“It is a sad thing that Philippe took a red card because he is one of our key players. Definitely we will miss him against Man United. But we need to work hard and forget this as soon as possible.

“I know that we will do better. Definitely better. We have to do it for us and the fans.”

[Slinky Skills]

Agree all the greats have to have that conviction that their way is the best way. But for the greats their way usually was the best way. Not in this case.

[Lecter]

Christ Lovren talks a **** game as well as playing one

Looks like he will play the next game, this story plus the international break I suspect they hope Lovren and all the rest of us will forget that performance and hope for the best

[G]

Don't think anybody should surprised that he'll start against United. The manager has hung his hat on him proving himself this season, he's picked him in most of the games so far including pre season so he's not going to bin him after a bad one.

[Lecter]

I don't think it's been just 1 bad game though.

Yes we kept 3 clean sheets but to me that was despite playing Lovren not because of playing him

[Daniel 7]

The manager is clearly a ****ing idiot if he persists. I wouldn't be surprised if he was dropped tbh, Brendan seems to be aware of fan base opinion and it wouldn't be unlikely for him to drop Lovren after the fall out from the weekend

[BubbaZanetti]

Brendan might as well go full retard and rename us Lovrenpool

[G]

I don't think it's been just 1 bad game though.

Yes we kept 3 clean sheets but to me that was despite playing Lovren not because of playing him

Yes but Brendan thinks he's great and he's all that matters. I think he's ****ing woeful but I don't pick the team.

[Liverpel]

"The gaffer has told me I will start and that gives me confidence."

Ha, nice try Shaggy.

[captainfog]

Sakho should be playing but Rodgers has managed to create a situation where Sakho has had next to no game time and it would be almost impossible to parachute him into the Man United game. If he plays then I wouldn't be surprised to see him struggle because he's had no opportunity to get some form. I'm not even sure he played much in pre season? It's been another example of Rodgers mismanaging a talented member of the squad.

Lovren is rubbish but we shouldn't be angry at him, we should be pissed off at the guy who bought him and keeps picking him. Lovren doesn't have to play, he also didn't set his own transfer fee. I feel sorry for him tbh.

[Fosterbloke]

He's the Brad Jones of our defence.

[Muddled]

Sakho should be playing but Rodgers has managed to create a situation where Sakho has had next to no game time and it would be almost impossible to parachute him into the Man United game. If he plays then I wouldn't be surprised to see him struggle because he's had no opportunity to get some form. I'm not even sure he played much in pre season? It's been another example of Rodgers mismanaging a talented member of the squad.

Lovren is rubbish but we shouldn't be angry at him, we should be pissed off at the guy who bought him and keeps picking him. Lovren doesn't have to play, he also didn't set his own transfer fee. I feel sorry for him tbh.

Sure, question Rodgers' decision to play Lovren over Sakho in the opening game, but it was clear from then on that the back five was going to stay the same and the clean sheets vindicated that choice.

I'm sure Sakho will have been told to train hard, fight for his place and take the next opportunity that comes. At what point should Rodgers have given Sakho some minutes? It's game four of a long season and unless you're Mourinho, substituting centre-backs for anything other than injury is pretty rare.