Dejan Lovren is smart, brave, patient and positive –
four words which, he explains, epitomise the LFC philosophy
LIONHE
L
iverpool three. Manchester City one. When the final
Premier League table is published in May and the story of
the season is analysed, that rip-roaring yet hugely tense
Anfield victory may well be one of the defining results
of the 38-game campaign. The evidence of last season certainly
points to it.
The Reds only lost one league game last season, 2-1 at
Manchester City, yet it proved to be the difference between
winning the league and not. The two sides drew 0-0 at Anfield
earlier in the season and City won the title 98-to-97 on points.
Had Liverpool won at Anfield or the Etihad they would have
finished season 2018/19 as Premier League champions. So
while it isn’t even Christmas yet and talk of a two-horse title
race is disrespectful to both Leicester City and Chelsea who
are very much in contention, the significance of beating
Manchester City at Anfield cannot be ignored either.
Defender Dejan Lovren is a Liverpool v Manchester City
veteran. Last month’s Premier League encounter was the
eleventh time he has lined up for the Reds against the Citizens- he’s faced no opponent more often during his career here –
and the eighth time he has been on the winning team, drawing
once and losing a couple.
It’s an impressive record given the level City have been at
during the half-decade Lovren has been a Liverpool player, so
how significant does he think beating Pep Guardiola’s side will
be in the title race?
“After that victory the manager came into the dressing-room,
took his hat off and said, ‘Boys, well done. I really respect what
you did on the pitch. It was incredible, such a high tempo is
difficult to play at’.