Liverpool fans should appreciate Dejan Lovren.
They should especially learn to appreciate the Croatian defender in light of the disasterclass offered by David Luiz as Manchester City beat Arsenal 3-0.
In 25 minutes, the Brazilian managed to make two mistakes that lead to goals and see red for his challenge on Riyad Mahrez.
It was an education in how not to defend.
Considering Luiz cost the Gunners a pretty penny from Chelsea, who must have laughed their way to the bank, his performance puts Dejan Lovren into perspective.
We all know that Lovren can be error prone at times and isn’t immune from his own nightmares – just watch that 45 minutes against Tottenham Hotspur.
But since then, the World Cup finalist has managed to stabilise and has done fairly well for Liverpool. Don’t forget, this is the man who kept Joe Gomez out of the side while Joel Matip was injured.
That seems mad now, especially during the 10 game run in which Gomez and Virgil van Dijk were nearly impeccable defensive companions.
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When we talk about how Lovren should be remembered, we might not necessarily think that he’s above players like Luiz.
The Brazilian has been able to forge a top class career as a defender despite his obvious deficiencies. Two spells at Chelsea and now this one at Arsenal will see him remembered as a good bloke and someone with breathtaking ability within him, but lapses like we experienced on Wednesday night are never far away.
Lovren grabs less headlines when he’s playing well and his skills are less noticeable than David Luiz, but when he’s on form he’s a better defender than the Arsenal man and when he’s not he’s less prone to moments of monumental self-destruction.
Maybe we should appreciate our squad depth, because Lovren as a fourth choice defender is an excellent option to have.
Luiz should make us all realise how lucky Liverpool actually are.