Dejan Lovren has surprised many people with his recent performances but Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp isn’t one of them.
The Reds lost Joel Matip to injury which seemed concerning at that point but Lovren has stepped up his game to fill in the void next to Virgil van Dijk. Lovren, over the last year, has been ridiculed for his performances and not many people expected him to stay beyond the end of the summer transfer window.
However, the former Southampton man has repaid the Klopp’s trust in him and Liverpool haven’t missed Matip as much as people expected them to thanks to Lovren’s performances.
Speaking about Lovren’s form, the Reds boss said: “Good, very good – but I’m not surprised. Dejan Lovren is the highest quality centre-half. Does he have weaknesses? Yes, like you all! And I have. But not a lot and not in a football sense. He is an outstanding centre-half, that’s why it was always clear we wanted to keep him. I’m not surprised that Dejan is doing well because that’s the reason why he’s here.”
Lovren has started four of Liverpool’s last five league games and he is expected to start again on Saturday against Crystal Palace. The likes of Wilfried Zaha are always a threat on the counter-attack but if the Croatian can continue his recent performances, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Matip is expected to be sidelined for a few more weeks which gives Lovren enough motivation to stake his claim on a regular first-team spot. Liverpool are nine points clear of fellow title contenders Manchester City and with Pep Guardiola’s side facing an inform Chelsea team, the Reds have a chance to extend their lead to 12 points at the top of the league table.
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