Lovren started on the bench again versus Crystal Palace, but replaced Mamadou Sakho in the first half, who picked up an injury of his own.
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he has not yet identified transfer targets for the upcoming January window.
It was first reported that Sakho was to be out of action until January but it seems he could be back before then despite no specific time being given. Lovren spoke earlier this week about being ready to step into Sakho’s sizable shoes, and now his manager is also backing him to put in a fine performance on Saturday against Manchester City. “These two guys [Martin Skrtel and Lovren] are healthy and so everything is good”. Dejan has done a really good job since I’ve come in here.
“I saw his first game for Liverpool – it was against Dortmund when we lost by four”.
“Whether he [Klopp] thinks he needs to bring a centre-back in because there aren’t too many options in that position”.
“It was important for me that I had a good pre-season with the team and I’m feeling more comfortable now”.
The busy schedule will test the Reds’ squad to its limits, with injuries already hurting the number of players available to Klopp, but he believes having fixtures so regularly will help him to form a strong judgement on his players.
He added that the club “have the possibilities” to “change a few things” in the window half-way through the season, as well as the summer window, but insisted they have “made no decisions” thus far because they “don’t have to make them yet”.
“As a team, everyone is very united and our fans are right behind us – they are our 12th man”. We are at a time when they can present positive arguments and say: “OK, we want to work together”.
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Lovren was part of a side that delivered the best performance of Klopp’s Anfield reign to date in Manchester – the visitors three goals ahead after just 32 minutes at the Etihad Stadium. “I don’t need to say this to them, they know it. In this moment we have made no decisions so I have time to judge”.
