Dejan Lovren has been a Jekyl and Hyde character for Liverpool this season. And at times, fans have wanted off with his head. With Southampton defender Virgil van Djik coming to Liverpool in the latest winter transfer window for a record fee, it looks as if Lovren would be riding the bench the rest of the season. However, van Djik picked up a hamstring injury in training this week which left him sidelined versus undefeated Manchester City for Sunday’s duel at Anfield. That not only put Lovren back in the starting XI, but manager Jurgen Klopp made him captain.
Sunday night in Liverpool, the Reds did what no other Premier League club could do thus far this season: beat Manchester City. With the score at 1-1 going into the break, Liverpool scored three times within 10 minutes in the second half to nearly put the game away but Manchester City would rally for two late goals and a near equalizer to leave Liverpool with a respectable 4-3 defeat in their first loss of the season. Lovren made headlines as he grabbed Firmino’s tossed jersey in the second half following the Brazilian’s goal and held it up for supporters to see, the Mirror reported.
If Lovren can crack the starting XI twice a month for the rest of the year, he will be in good shape for the World Cup.
In Spain, it is all but over for reigning champions Real Madrid. Los Blancos lost 1-0 at home to Villareal on Saturday and now find themselves a staggering 19 points behind leaders Barcelona. Luka Modrić played the full match while Mateo Kovačić looked on from the bench. Surely, Real Madrid will begin to focus on their Champions League campaign and Copa del Rey, where they will play Leganes in the quarterfinals. As long as they finish top four in Spain, which they should to protect their CL berth, and make a run in the other two tournaments, their season may not completely become a bust.
On the other side of the Spanish spectrum, Barcelona came back from a two-goal deficit Sunday against Real Sociedad to score four unanswered goal in a 4-2 win. The result keeps their La Liga campaign undefeated and nine points in front of second place Atletico Madrid. Ivan Rakitić played 90 minutes versus Sociedad Sunday but did not score or assist.
i will destroy you
Just a bit of sarcasm Goku
@The so-called “truth”
LOL Shut your pipe hole, you ignorant commie parasite !
MLK whose real name was actually just Michael King was nothing else than a token foot soldier propped up by (((Stanley David Levison))) and the rest of his Tribe to turn the US into the multiracial urban shit hole that it has become today.
Moreover, it is now well documented that MLK was a phony who not only plagiarized huge parts of his doctoral dissertation from another previous graduate students from Boston University named Jack Boozer), but also a rabid adulterer with countless mistresses and a penchant for all night drunken orgies with White prostitutes (JFK Files).
sources:
New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/11/us/boston-u-panel-finds-plagiarism-by-dr-king.html
New York Daily News:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/soviet-diplomat-oswald-nervous-kill-jfk-cia-files-article-1.3609719
You don’t know squat kiddo, so just stick to your usual BS about Croatian athletes instead of making it even more obvious that you’re nothing more than a deranged Serbian troll.
I think the pjaca loan move was a good idea. He’s already getting minutes for Schalke
Crazier than Pjaca loan Move
Soul- I love you man, but Lovren at CDM is crazy. Almost as as crazy as Perisic at LB! 😉
@The truth- heartwarming, nice one
Dejan Lovren = Left Right Out
Hey Truth how did you celebrate MLK day?
Well hopefully PSG knocks out Real, and with Barcelona being like 20 points ahead of Real in the standings… Modrić will just relax a bit until the World Cup this summer.
Dejan Lovren = Central Defensive Midfielder
He loves to tackle, jumps on through balls, can initiate forward pass, etc …
Klopp should work with him to cultivate a potential hybrid role for him.
He seems to fundamentally not be interested in playing CB.
Matip is no superstar either.
If Van Dijk is the second coming then great for LFC. Lovren will still find minutes.
The REAL question is when is Zidane going to go all in with Mateo Kovačić ?
His injury threw off the whole first half of season.
Kroos and Casemiro have been sub par for months.
Isco should always start somewhere on the ptich.
Modrić is working TOO hard on defense, almost like pre Dalić repka days. At 32 you are asking too much of him.
PSG will run riot over Kroos in February and Casemiro is to limited going forward.
Kovačić can give you all you need in the center of the park.
Modrić forwarded at least gives you some form of hope of creating chances.
Isco has got the Modrić magic in his feet as well.
Ronaldo will need triple chances to score these days.
But these three can supply the scoring passes.
For all the uncool people, here is the new trending song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keQVyfOi8Ow
Rakitic is a pussy boy fag
Let us all Take a moment to celebrate mlk day in the US. Sure mlk might’ve had many communist tendencies and his views on Christianity were a bit questionable, but he was a leading driver of making America a better place
Croatia can remember this example as we consider what to do with immigrant refugee and remember that they are people just like us
Wow World Cup qualifier games against Peru, Mexico, and now Brazil???? I am surprised our warm up games aren’t against Armenia, Bulgaria, Honduras, and last but not least Inter Zapresic LOLOL. Good for us that we are playing descent teams. I just got tickets for the Peru game. I live in New Jersey and flying down to Miami. It’s going to be my first time seeing the Repka play live. I just hope that Croatia brings some of their starters. I’m not stupid, I know that Croatia isn’t going to play their starters all game long. I’ll be happy just to see Modric play 20 mins. I’ve seen Modric play a friendly when he was with Spurs against the Red Bulls back in 2010. I’ve seen other Croatian players play friendlies for their clubs against NYCFC or the Red Bulls. But I am super excited to see the Hrvatska National Team play live. Back in 2000 I went to the old Giants stadium to watch Yugoslavia play Ecquador in a friendly for Euro 2000. And Yugoslavia brought their whole A-Squad. Mihajlovic, Savicevic, Kezman and Slobodan Milosevic. Lol I remember Dejan Savicevic got a red card like 15 mins into the game. Lol who gets red carded in a friendly? Only Serbs.
So do you guys think Croatia will start at least 70% of their starters against Peru? Lemme know
Lovern has balls on the chin.
Ante I’d appreciate that you not speculate on starting line ups. Ok kid?
Ugh. Šimunović sucks.
He won’t even start on Bosna, let alone Croatia.
well. You can blame Cacic related to letting the “God Foot” Simunovic switch nationality that cost us for lacking a nimble CB
Do you guys think another league would better suit Lovren?
maybe another sport would better suit him? LEL
@Maminjo – I couldn’t agree with you more. I have been hoping for a while that he improves his play. We’ll see if he plays with VVD at the back and if he improves. I still think Lovren can play well with a smarter, calmer, faster CB supporting him (Puyol with Pique, Cannavaro with Materazzi) because Lovren is not the guy you rely on at the back. He can do the dirty work. Also, the days of having a tough guy CB with a sharp sweeper style CB are done. Everyone has to be more versatile now. CB’s have to move the ball and defend well. Not just man mark, slide tackle and win headers. Rio and Vidic did well and even Terry Luiz/Cahill. All of those CB pairings won champions league titles (I think Lucio partnered Materazzi or Walter Samuel at Inter in 2010. Cannavaro and Matterazzi won a world cup together in 2006).
He either improves or maybe he just needs another team of similar caliber (wishful thinking) or goes to a lower level team like Southampton where we played well for a year/or leaves England.
Do you guys think another league would better suit Lovren?
Yep. Lovren completely at fault for that last Man City goal.
Not sure what the hell is wrong with this guy and the high ball. It seems like he just has a poor understanding of where he should be or when to time his jump whenever someone sends in a cross.
That attempt at getting his head on that cross was just awful.
Also, the previous Man City goal (although not his fault) he was too easily drawn in by that one time pass, which opened up a path to the goalscorer. That goal is not his fault, but a better defender could have prevented that chance from taking place.
I really really hope he just gets benched or is off our starting eleven somehow. He will definitely cost us a goal or two.
Lovern has balls on his chin.
Lovren completely missed the header for the Gundogan goal.
Lovren gets the start and the arm band
Olmo will us home one day.
Meh, let them be rested.
They’re still training day in day out.
These guys have played some big games this past year.
They’re not inexperienced. They’ll be ready.
Healthy is more important than regular minutes at this point.
Only a couple of youngsters I might like to see play more regularly like Halilovic.
Pjaca in and concede 2 goals afterward.
It happens when Croatian play from bench
Let them be confident
Messi is fully aware we aren’t to be taken lightly
i say put mandzukic on his ass all game just to piss him off;)
Rakitic was prolly just trying to put Messi at ease, so they get overconfident. This way we take ’em by surprise! We gotta top this group to avoid France!
I agree with Az, center-back is our problem positions. With so many of our players injured or just plain on the bench. Who knows if Vida will start, since Pepe and Tosic are the preferred partnership. And it looks like Mitrovic might be on his way out.
Plus Lovren’s relegated to the bench, Corluka don’t know when he will be back, and Jedvaj is on the bench too! The only bright spot at CB is Caleta-Car, who’s having a good season in Austria and his club just turned down a 12million euro bid for him from Spartak Moscow.
As far as mids go, Rog, Brozovic, and Kovacic all on the bench there as well. Rog really should get loaned out for more playing time. Krovinovic has been playing well for Benfica, and I would actually consider him ahead in the pecking order than those 3 aforementioned players.
Rakitic is just being his same old idiot self.
A lot of Croats have this subordinate mentality.
Assuming Argentina wins our group, we will be Argentina’s toughest match from Day 1 right up until they reach the semifinals.
They would face Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria in the first round; then
they would face one of Peru or Denmark in the Round of 16;
Then face likely Portugal in the quarters
Honestly, Croatia will probably be their toughest opponent until Argentina meets Brazil in the semifinals.
It is critical for them to come away on top in their game against us, or else they will be facing France in the Round of 16.
Which team do you think Argentina thinks will give them the toughest match in our group this world cup?
I bet a lot of players think Rakitic is a big ass kisser.
Even still, if you agree or disagree that Messi should or shouldn’t be worried about us, it’s not something you go out and actually say. Keep that shit to yourself. My buddy I went to university with from Barcelona tells me the fans like Rakitic there, but they often think he talks too much with reporters and should do less of it.
It’s one game. Anyone can win. You don’t broadcast things like that, keep it to yourself. Psychologically he’s given off the impression we’re a cake walk for Argentina. Again, whether you think we are or aren’t you don’t publicly vocalize that. I’m not saying we’re the best but he’s talking like Argentina is playing Gibraltar.
I may be over reacting but I can’t understand this guy sometimes. Maybe it’s the frosted feathered tips and stenciled eyebrows. He and Lovren should do an interview together.
Why would Messi be worried about us?!
Hopefully Rakitic doesn’t play like a starstruck child and puts in some motm performances for a change.
I hope this Rakitić comment was just a mistranslation
http://www.scoresway.com/?sport=news&page=news&view=article&news_id=1042028
Rakitic interview:
http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2018/01/13/5a59018546163fff408b45a0.html
Real loses again, at home. Unreal.
So literally Halilovic just came off the bench and jinx up. I don’t think he could be like Saitama (another God level) as a savior.
Sad situation for our defenders..mitrovic and vida are backup defenders to pepe and tosic in besiktas..and yet they are in starting 11 of the national team..corluka and jedvaj are still not match fit yet..lovren will probably continue to ride on the bench..how can we compete and progress in russia when the defenders are not play wk in wk out in their respective clubs..
If anyone wants Dario Saric’s opinion on the weeks matches in the Prem here you go.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/42626238
Shalke04 for pjaca.