Dejan Lovren

[Irishnev]

You cannot build a solid defence with players like Dejan Lovren in it.

I hope Matip and Sakho (if he can stay fit) get the chance to form a partnership

[danperkins]

Why?

I think as long as Lovern is not expected to be the one organising the back line and the backline does not contain too many weak links then he is solid enough.


He is the sort of defender who slots in well to a back line that is already marshalled by another player and if the other players are of a decent to good level he tends to play to the level of those around him.


With Southampton he was part of a well drilled backline and the season he joined them they knocked 14 goals off the number of league goals they had conceded the season before.

With Lyon he showed both sides of his game. He showed how good he could be in a stable consistent back line and he also showed that when placed in a back line with weak links that he can be prone to becoming overloaded.


Since he joined us he has been in a back line that has included Skrtel, Mignolet, and Moreno. Three players who have shown than have good games but also three players who have shown themselves capable of regular game changing poor performances. Often all three of them were in the same back line at the same time.

Put a Clyne level left back into our team, a confident performing keeper and a centre back who will either take charge or lead by example and I would be quite confident of Lovern not looking out of his depth.

Of course a big part of any back line doing it's job relies on the players in midfield too, so getting that right plays a big part in deciding whether the defence actually gets to defend in cycles or having to firefight game in game out.


As it happens, Lovern would not be a starter for me is everyone was fit, but he has shown enough with us, Southampton, and Lyon for a pretty good idea to be had of his qualities and weaknesses. For me he is good enough to slot into a well drilled back line and perform well on a regular basis, but he is also prone to going into his shell when expected to be the one marshalling a disjointed back line.

I actually thought he was decent for Lyon in the games I seen him play for them. I think I posted back sometime in 2013 about him being a good option for us when we where linked with him initially. No doubts one or two others on this site can confirm whether I posted this or not. I'm almost sure I did

Looking at him on a consistent basis for us and looking at Fonte for Southampton, it's pretty clear to see who was marshalling that defence. We bought Lovren to be a leader and organiser, clearly we bought the wrong CB out of that pairing. IMO, he'll have a few good games but he's not good enough for us to have as a main stay in a solid backline. He has improved under Klopp no doubts, but to be fair ... he couldn't have got any worse.

I think he's very similar to Skrtel IMO. Both gungho, all action CB's but both make rash decisions. People called Lovren a front foot CB, he isn't really he's just a bit headless IMO. I mentioned during the summer that I thought we needed another CB along with the signing of Matip. I do think Matip & Sakho will be what he goes for but I'm a bit gutted we didn't go out and get another top draw defender in this window.

In saying all that, we haven't had a settled defence in years & we've been missing a dominant DM too. Lack of protection and an ever changing defence has done us no favours defensively, regardless of who is in the backline. I'm still hoping for a minor miracle in the transfer window & would like to think that Klopp can see the weak points at LB and CM. I'd feel much better about a Lovren/Sakho partnership if we had a DM infront of them who as actually a DM by trade.

[Daniel 7]

I'm hoping Matip is the Sakho replacement in the defence rather than the Lovren one. Sakho is too much of a variable - he's injured a lot and his performances fluctuated wildly between the new Baresi and the new Babb.

I'll admit, I know very little about Matip, but have read that he's consistent, used to play midfield (so there must be some ability with the ball at his feet and with distribution), he's big and came off the back of being rated one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga.

I don't really want to see much of Klavan, he looks like a cheap player way out of his depth.

But yeah, Lovren - I don't see why he couldn't be relied upon given the level of his improvement. He's no worse than Huth or Morgan.

[Doc_Piptorious]

I'm hoping Matip is the Sakho replacement in the defence rather than the Lovren one. Sakho is too much of a variable - he's injured a lot and his performances fluctuated wildly between the new Baresi and the new Babb.

I'll admit, I know very little about Matip, but have read that he's consistent, used to play midfield (so there must be some ability with the ball at his feet and with distribution), he's big and came off the back of being rated one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga.

I don't really want to see much of Klavan, he looks like a cheap player way out of his depth.

But yeah, Lovren - I don't see why he couldn't be relied upon given the level of his improvement. He's no worse than Huth or Morgan.

Matip is very right sided in his play so would be surprised if Klopp tried to use him as the LCB. To switch him to being a LCB would be to not use him in the position in which he has being playing well in for a number of seasons now.

He did use to play in midfield, but most of his midfield time came when he was in his late teenage years still trying to find out what position he was suited to. Similar to how the likes of Carragher played in other positions before making the CB slot his own ( although in Matip's case he played in other positions far less than Carragher did).

Afaik Matip did not cover in the DM role at all last season, and I think not at all the two seasons before that also. He has something like 40 games to his name as a defensive midfielder, but the majority of those DM appearances would have come in his first two or three seasons with Schalke as he has been pretty much set as a centre back for them for the past four and a half to five seasons.

[Cormack74]

Matip is very right sided in his play so would be surprised if Klopp tried to use him as the LCB. To switch him to being a LCB would be to not use him in the position in which he has being playing well in for a number of seasons now.

Agree.

Watched every Schalke game after it was announced we were signing him and he positively avoided using his left foot.

It would be a recipe for disaster IMO.

[Phoenix07]

In the early pre-season friendlies, Matip was used as RCB, and Lovren as the LCB.

[baitman]

I think he's very similar to Skrtel IMO.

Dan got a new mancrush

[Rowan]

Incredible when you think what his first season with us was like. He's immense

[Shaggy]

Degsy ****in Lovren

A while back I said it was too early and he still had a way to go. I'm done now. I quit. I take it all back. I apologise. Brendan - as much as I am loathe to have pop at him - what were you ****ing doing with him?

Lovren took so much stick - a fearful amount of stick....from me included. I take it all back. He's been absolutely magnificent.

[S-RED]

Degsy ****in Lovren

A while back I said it was too early and he still had a way to go. I'm done now. I quit. I take it all back. I apologise. Brendan - as much as I am loathe to have pop at him - what were you ****ing doing with him?

Lovren took so much stick - a fearful amount of stick....from me included. I take it all back. He's been absolutely magnificent.

old shiney teeth needs to take a good look, he is a different player

[danperkins]

Super performance

[McDermotX]

Aye.....really good tonight, and there's something particularly heart-warming whenever he scores a goal. Would probably only have Henderson ahead of him in performance overall, but it's immensely gratifying when matches go like that for him.

[G]

Was never a fan but he got my undying love after Dortmund at home.

[Buzzo]

Little things like him moving with the ball out to the channels under pressure and dealing with it make him utterly unrecognisable from the guy that got caught on the ball v West Ham only 12 months ago. I think his loss of form was due to attempting to listen to a manager who did not understand how to defend.

He is eye of the tiger now, and having Matip next to him is definitely going to help!

[Fosterbloke]

Barcelona 7 Rodgers 0 says it all. The guy hasn't a clue about defence or defenders.