Croatian international Dejan Lovren has come under some fire in recent times for his poor performances, but says that he is absolutely ready to step up to the task, if called up by Liverpool FC boss Jurgen Klopp.
Lovren had been a favourite of former manager Brendan Rodgers, and was a regular starter under the Irishman. However, due to poor form, Rodgers had dropped the Croat and paired Mamadou Sakho beside Skrtel.
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Jurgen Klopp, who was appointed as the new manager at Liverpool FC last month, seemed to prefer the centre-back pairing of Martin Skrtel and Sakho. However, as the Frenchman hobbled off against Crystal Palace in Liverpool FC’s last home game, Klopp brought on Lovren to patch up the defence. Sakho’s injury seems to have given Lovren a chance to prove himself yet again at the head of the Reds’ defence.
a Mama had a really good couple of games and a good start to the season. We played in Rubin Kazan together and were feeling really good,” Lovren was quoted as saying on Liverpool FC’s official website.
a But you never know in football a injuries can happen today or tomorrow. So you need to be prepared. I was working hard all the time so Ia m ready and looking forward to playing.a
Reds left with little option at the back
While Lovren is expected to pair up with Skrtel at the centre of Liverpool FC’s defence, manager Klopp would surely be feeling a bit uneasy about the fact that Sakho’s injury has left his side with little option at the back.
Their only traditional centre-back option is 34-year-old Ivorian Kolo Toure. Other than Toure, Klopp can also use 21-year-old German Emre Can, but he is more of a holding midfielder. While there has been no timeframe provided for Sakho’s injury, he is expected to be out of action for at least the rest of 2015.
This could mean that Klopp might go shopping for a new defender in January. However, going by his reputation as a talent-spotter, he may also pull out one of Liverpool FC’s U-21 players.