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Who was the pre-tournament favourite to be the last Liverpool player standing in the World Cup? Brazil's Roberto Firmino, perhaps? As it transpired, Croatia's Dejan Lovren survived the longest. A 4-2 defeat against France in the final took some wind out of his sails, after an amusing but ill-timed self-assessment of his talents. His club manager Jurgen Klopp was also amused. He didn't exactly call Lovren the Miles Davis of own-trumpet-blowers, but it wasn't far off. He didn't disagree with his assessment, however. It must be hard for any player to suppress a roar of vindication after another season when his abilities were derided several times, yet he probably should've kept quiet. He didn't perform badly in the final, but France were too good in the end. Lovren had plenty to say about that, too, never knowing when to keep quiet. Liverpool fans are used to it. It's often Lovren who speaks loudest when he and the Reds are going well, and it's almost always followed by a karmic bad result. As to the validity of his claims, anyone who appears in Champions League and World Cup finals within a few months must have something going for them. Perhaps not as much as Raphael Varane, a winner in both games. Then again, "not as good as Varane" can still be pretty good surely? Lovren can reasonably claim both finals were settled by two gift goals which were nothing to do with him in either case. Whatever the general verdict on Lovren, his club manager is clearly an admirer. When he looks at his first-choice XI, Klopp sees bigger weaknesses than central defence. It's intriguing that the Reds are being linked to Lovren's partner in Croatia's defence, Domagoj Vida of Besiktas. This was happening even before Vida impressed in Russia, and any fee will need to be bigger now. Central defence is possibly the most important partnership on the pitch. Having a duo that also plays together at international level would be an advantage in terms of understanding. The one small problem is Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool clearly didn't spend so much money on the Dutchman for him to alternate with Vida and Lovren. This is another area where Klopp needs strength in depth, and Vida would provide that. Joel Matip sometimes plays well but is injured a lot, while Ragnar Klavan was always a last resort despite performing better than expected sometimes. Doubtful opinions about Lovren himself are based on his four seasons at Anfield overall, rather than his recent form. Improvement is obvious, though there's still a tendency to stumble badly on occasion. Mistakes seem to cling to Liverpool players far longer than those from other clubs. Steven Gerrard fell over against Chelsea four years ago. He's since left for the United States, retired and taken up management with Glasgow Rangers, but opposition fans still sing about him. Lovren had a nightmare against Harry Kane and Tottenham last October. He was so bad that Klopp hauled him off after 30 minutes. This filtered into the analysis of the World Cup semifinal between England and Croatia, partially explaining Lovren's bumptious celebrations and media quotes afterwards. This may be the first summer where fans won't feel replacing Lovren is a priority, perhaps satisfied by the purchase of Van Dijk. Liverpool only conceded 13 league goals after the Dutchman's arrival, in contrast to the 25 conceded beforehand. There were still problematic games, like the Champions League semifinal with Roma where Liverpool couldn't efficiently shut down either game. With big money spent on central midfielders Naby Keita and Fabinho, it looks like Klopp intends to protect the defence a little better than previously while hoping Lovren/Van Dijk continue to fuse into a reasonable partnership. If and when the time came to find better than Lovren, it probably means Liverpool are continuing to improve and need the best in every position. That prospect is quite a way off, however. The plan then would be for better players to be bought while current players drop back into squad mode. Nice in theory, but difficult in practise. What if Lovren simply didn't want to play second fiddle? As one of the best in the world -- his words, and his manager currently concurs -- it's more likely he'd seek a new club. Herein lies the problem for Klopp going forward. Liverpool need an even stronger squad now, which could mean clashing egos and discontent behind the scenes. Even the hugging, ever-grinning German may find it difficult to keep everyone content. Lovren played well for Croatia, in a side that worked hard and remained focussed on being tight and organised at the back. The attacking nature of his club side presents a greater challenge for any defender. This is where his mettle will continue to be tested but you can't say he lacks confidence.
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