Dejan Lovren Proves Depth of Character in Liverpool's Draw with Southampton
ST. MARY'S STADIUM, Southampton — It is unlikely Liverpool will endure many more frustrating afternoons in the current campaign than Saturday's 0-0 draw away to Southampton, with a stoic defensive display from Claude Puel's Saints successfully stymieing the in-form Reds.
Jurgen Klopp led his side to Hampshire in torrential rain, with both the roof and the floodlights at St. Mary's tested as winter set in on the south coast, while Liverpool's attack produced a barrage of their own, firing 15 shots on Fraser Forster's goal.
Despite Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, Emre Can and Nathaniel Clyne all having great chances to break the deadlock, the Reds left Southampton with a single point—and while they preserved their place at the top of the Premier League table for at least 24 hours, they will have left disappointed.
However, while much of the post-match praise was lavished on Puel's well-drilled back line, and Forster's shot-stopping prowess, Liverpool's second clean sheet in the league in 2016/17 was certainly commendable.
At the heart of this was one of the Reds' four ex-Saints, Dejan Lovren, making his fifth appearance against his former club—and time certainly hasn't dampened the vitriol sent his way from the stands of his old home stadium, with his every touch met with a deluge of jeers from those wearing red and white stripes.
One of the key subplots to play out as Liverpool extended their unbeaten run to 10 games in the league and 13 in all competitions, this presented a major test for the Croatian and underlined the progress he has made since making the £20 million move to Merseyside in the summer of 2014.
A clean sheet serves as vindication, as Lovren proved the depth of his character with an assured, combative display against the club who brought him across the Channel three years ago.
Almost three months on from their last—and, so far this season, only—defeat, away to Burnley on Aug. 20, Liverpool enjoyed a similar level of dominance on the road against Southampton.
Along with their 15 shots on goal, the Reds saw 64.5 percent of possession, with Puel opting for a more defensive approach against the league leaders.
Klopp set his side up in his regular 4-3-3 formation, with Loris Karius keeping his place in goal behind a back four featuring Lovren, Clyne, Joel Matip and James Milner, while the absence of Adam Lallana saw Georginio Wijnaldum drafted into midfield alongside Can and Jordan Henderson.
In attack, Coutinho recovered from a midweek injury scare to join Firmino and Mane, with the trio having netted 16 goals between them in the league before the trip to the south coast; each had a chance to add to that tally on Saturday but were thwarted by Forster, Virgil van Dijk and Jose Fonte.
Southampton's defensive tactics might come as no surprise, with no club outside of the Premier League's top six having conceded fewer goals than Puel's side—just 12 in 12 games—but Liverpool's stability at St. Mary's came as an encouraging marker of their progress under Klopp this season.
Symbolic of the scrutiny Klopp's defence has come under this season, the boos and expletive-laden chants aimed at Lovren from the Northam Stand in particular could have seen the 27-year-old crumble under pressure.
This was the case in the Reds' away clash with Southampton in 2015/16, when Lovren was substituted at half-time in a 3-2 defeat on March 20, following a fraught 45-minute showing that saw him touch the ball just 18 times; it was his replacement, Martin Skrtel, who was rightly blamed as Liverpool let a two-goal lead slip, but the No. 6's withdrawal was certainly justified.
On Saturday, however, Lovren was a different beast, demanding the ball from his team-mates despite the jeers increasing in volume every time he took possession—a stark contrast to eight months ago; Lovren took 90 touches of the ball, with only three Liverpool players tallying more.
Defensively, too, Lovren contributed impressively, making three successful tackles and winning three aerial duels, with a success rate of 100 percent both on the ground and in the air.
While his attacking counterparts failed to break the deadlock at the other end, Lovren's display was central to ensuring a frustrating afternoon didn't end in defeat, and making a beeline to the travelling Kop at full-time, under another barrage from the home support, he further underlined his resolve.
At the beginning of the international break, Lovren gave a remarkably open interview with JOE.co.uk's Tony Barrett, providing an insight into his upbringing in war-torn Bosnia, and his family's necessary migration to Munich:
"I was at home with my mother and we heard the sound of the air-raid sirens. It was really scary. She took me in her arms to protect me and we went downstairs to the basement. My mum was crying and all we could do was hide. That is something I will never forget. How could I? After that we went into a small car, a Yugo, and my uncle drove us to Germany. That is how I became a refugee.
"
He later described the situation further, saying "you are fighting for your life and you have to survive."
While it would definitely be remiss to compare the plight of those forced to flee the violence and poverty of the Bosnian War with with the tribulations of a highly paid Premier League footballer, Lovren's battle against adversity has certainly provided the defender with a steely backbone.
Before he joined Southampton, Lovren's playing career took in spells in Croatia and France, and while, at 27, he is an experienced and well-travelled talent, he has arguably only found his identity as a player under Klopp on Merseyside.
Having run the gauntlet at St. Mary's, Lovren passed another test of his character—and this was particularly important given the stately display of a player who has been mooted as a possible target for the Reds in the future: Van Dijk.
He wasn't the most impressive centre-back on the pitch on Saturday, and he wasn't even Liverpool's best—that was Matip, who excelled in all aspects of the game—but given the conditions he was forced to battle against, Lovren certainly held his own.
Lovren's limp showing at St. Mary's in March came at a time when his position within the Liverpool squad was still under question, but given Klopp's backing, he has now turned his fortunes around.
He is no saint, of course, with his aggressive pursuit of a move away from Southampton in 2014 and his public feud with Croatia manager Ante Cacic two examples of this, but Lovren is clearly a man of ambition and, no doubt crucially for Klopp, steadfast principles.
Lovren is no longer a weak link in Liverpool's defensive ranks, in ability or in temperament, and Saturday's showing only reinforced this.
Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents. Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and WhoScored.
Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby and Facebook here.
.jpg?w=480 "NFL Draft Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Best Remaining Players on 2026 NFL Draft Big Board")
