Dejan Lovren

[danperkins]

We've had so many injuries & new signings in defence that at this stage it's pretty much impossible to know what our best backline is.

[RichC]

I'd say it's the one that played yesterday

[~LFCHistory~]

A snippet from Barrett on the Rattle is that Lovren and Skrtel are very much Rodgers first choice centre backs so this current partnership probably won't be getting time unless they start keeping cleansheets and looking solid in the process.

Well they've already kept 1 clean sheet in 2 games whereas with Skrtel in the team we can't keep a clean sheet to save our lives so I really, really hope that this isn't true and that Brendan gives Lovren/Sakho a long run of games together. As I've already said that partnership may or may not work but I'd rather we gamble and give it a chance than go back to relying on older defenders who have proved time and time again that they're not good enough(Skrtel, Johnson, Kolo).

[G]

Yeah I agree. How long they get together before Skrtel is fit and how well they do is the question.

[McDermotX]

We've had so many injuries & new signings in defence that at this stage it's pretty much impossible to know what our best backline is.

I'd say it's the one that played yesterday

Possibly, but we've also a chance to see a Skrtel/Loven or Sakho partnership with the two new fullbacks. Either way, we need to ****ing man up.

[Fredo]

I think I intimated before that I think Rodgers doesn't really rate Sakho and I stand by that. As soon as Skrtel is fit, Sakho will be back on the bench. Now is the time for Sakho to pull his finger out.

[ronanm]

I'd like to see a revamp in the defensive coaching side. We haven't had a solid back four in quite some time (since Benitez?). Some of that is due to our offensive style, some owing to new players. But there hasn't been a game this season where we haven't had at least one defensive shambles.

[Rich]

We don't play with a classic defensive midfielder, which has to play some part in our defensive woes.

That said, let's not go witch-hunt crazy. We only conceded 1 at the weekend and while defensively we weren't great it was our attacking play which was significantly more at fault against Villa.

[baitman]

maybe part of the problem with the 'perceived lack of communication' between the gk and cb's is that gerrard is dropping in and out of the back line at will and no one knows if he is going to take a man or a position and stick to it, then others can look around and pick up someone else.
then gerrard might go walkabout, lovren comes to cover the immediate threat and he looks like he has left his man who then gets the ball leaving lovren looking like a pudding.

this was happening last year with glen johnson and skrtel, and skrtel was getting grief for leaving his post, running to make too many last ditch blocks, etc.

its sometimes easy to see who was at fault, but often people fail to see why the player has come out of position in the first place.

[Tribute]

With last season and a couple of games this season, I can see the potential in Lovren. He'll grow in confidence and presence. His positional play will improve a lot too under a well-drilled and stable partnership. Both full backs Manquillo and Moreno are a big improvement on Johnson/Enrique/Flannagan. Both still very young, but I can see them working well in a consistent back four. The challenge is then Skrtel/Sakho. Skrtel has bouts of brain farts and can be turned/lose his man easily. Sakho is younger and looks a beast in the air... but also comes across as a headless chicken, prone to lapses in concentration and doesn't look too comfortable on the ball...

Mignolet undoubtedly contributes to the indecisiveness. If he was a Pepe/Schmeichel/Cech/Begovic - we'd have a more settled, less frenetic approach to defending... but he's not. He flaps at crosses, stays on his line too often and hesitates a lot. And that's not even mentioning how bad his footwork and kicking is... Valdes would at least bring in a bravado/bit of confidence to our defensive mentality.

[danperkins]

maybe part of the problem with the 'perceived lack of communication' between the gk and cb's is that gerrard is dropping in and out of the back line at will and no one knows if he is going to take a man or a position and stick to it, then others can look around and pick up someone else.
then gerrard might go walkabout, lovren comes to cover the immediate threat and he looks like he has left his man who then gets the ball leaving lovren looking like a pudding.

this was happening last year with glen johnson and skrtel, and skrtel was getting grief for leaving his post, running to make too many last ditch blocks, etc.

its sometimes easy to see who was at fault, but often people fail to see why the player has come out of position in the first place.

fair points.

[~LFCHistory~]

Mignolet undoubtedly contributes to the indecisiveness. If he was a Pepe/Schmeichel/Cech/Begovic - we'd have a more settled, less frenetic approach to defending... but he's not. He flaps at crosses, stays on his line too often and hesitates a lot. And that's not even mentioning how bad his footwork and kicking is... Valdes would at least bring in a bravado/bit of confidence to our defensive mentality.

The grass is always greener I'd suggest, one mistake/flap from Valdes and people on here will be saying he's washed up and only looked good before because he was in an awesome Barca team.

[G]

He's always flapped, even in his best days. So did Grobellaar. If he still has the presence, communication and shot stopping we could live with it. It's not ideal but it's for Mignolet to step up and prevent it.

[baronvonskidmark]

The thing that Skrtel has in his favour that neither Lovren or Sakho seem to is that he offers a goal threat in the opposition penalty box. I think that will get him back in the side.

I guess though you could argue that Skrtel unfortunately offers a goal threat in our penalty box also.

[red g]

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren admits he has not found it easy to make an instant impact as manager Brendan Rodgers' defensive linchpin.

The Croatia international was signed at considerable cost - £20million - from the Saints as the Reds boss viewed him as a long-term replacement to fill the void left by Jamie Carragher's retirement in 2013.

Lovren has played every minute of Liverpool's four Premier League matches this season but so far they have managed just one clean sheet, in the 3-0 win at Tottenham.

He has had a mixed start to his Anfield career and Saturday's defeat by Aston Villa came partly as a result of his poor marking at a corner.

But it is still early days and Lovren is confident he can grow into the player Rodgers wants him to be.

"It is a tough job because I am a new player also," Lovren said.

"It is not so easy to lead all the time. I was used to other players leading before but I have the confidence in myself and I am ready for it.

"I am just 25 and the thing is I need to improve in every game as a person and as a player.

"I am giving my best, which is the most important thing. With the time and the games it will come."

Liverpool have kept just two clean sheets in their last 13 Premier League outings and Rodgers admits it is an area they need to improve.

"We need to be better in those areas," Lovren added.

"Of course we were disappointed at the weekend. It was a game where when you dominate with the ball (they had 75 per cent possession) and don't score you at least want to get a point.

"We had five players making their Anfield debut at the weekend and that cohesion does take that little bit of time.

"Our emphasis will always be positive but we need to tighten up in some areas."

Liverpool make their return to the Champions League on Tuesday night with the visit of Ludogorets.

Rodgers said their scouting of the Bulgarian minnows had revealed they were an open side but they may - as Villa did so successfully at the weekend - come to Anfield with a plan to frustrate.

The Reds boss insists his side are set up to cope with that.

"Their normal game in Bulgaria, the club's emphasis is to play attacking football," Rodgers said.

"They may want to come here and sit back of course, which is fine as a tactic but we only worry about ourselves.

"We are used to starting games quickly at Anfield but it is also vital if we don't get a goal in those early moments we don't concede."

http://www.teamtalk.com/news/2483/9472965/Premier-League-Liverpool-defender-Dejan-Lovren-admits-he-is-finding-it-tough