5 players who are lucky to be playing for Liverpool

#3 Dejan Lovren

Dejan Lovren had a shocking game against Tottenham earlier this season

When Croatian international Dejan Lovren signed with Liverpool in the summer of 2014 in a deal from Southampton, he brought with him a reputation as one of the Premier League’s strongest defenders. Three and a half seasons on and that reputation has suffered greatly. But despite being blamed for a large majority of the goals Liverpool have conceded since he signed, he’s still largely been an ever-present for the Reds, whether it’s been alongside Martin Skrtel, or more recently Joel Matip or Ragnar Klavan.

Earlier this season he put in what was largely considered one of the all-time bad Premier League defensive performances in a 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, and found himself substituted after 31 hapless minutes. And yet despite this, for the most part, he’s still been Liverpool’s first-choice centre-back this season.

Admittedly, Matip and Klavan haven’t exactly looked solid themselves this season but when your own manager is having doubts about you – Klopp said that he could’ve done better himself at Wembley in a pair of trainers – you’re lucky to remain at your club.

Liverpool have recently splashed out a world-record fee for a defender -- £75m -- to bring Virgil van Dijk to Anfield, and given that he started alongside Matip in his first game, it could suggest that it might be curtains for Lovren, at least when it comes to being a regular starter. But even since the sale of Philipe Coutinho, Liverpool haven’t been linked with any other defenders in this transfer window at least, meaning Lovren should be lucky enough to be pulling on the red shirt for some time yet.