OPINION
Liverpool have not been renowned for having the best defence in the Premier League, but that all changed when Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez teamed up in the centre this season.
They have been hailed time and time again by pundits and fans, with some even remarking how they were one of the best central defensive pairings in the top-flight.
However, a lot has happened since then, and a number of injuries have have had a negative effect on how well the defence has been performing – namely the long-term injury to Gomez.
Jurgen Klopp had back up in the shape of Dejan Lovren, and for a while, he managed to impress in the 21-year-old’s absence, something which meant that Joel Matip would not get much of a look-in.
The tables have now turned though, as Lovren’s recent setback has meant that Matip has taken a spot alongside Van Dijk, most recently in the 5-0 rout of Watford on Wednesday night.
He was superb all evening and he justly deserved all of the praise that came his way for his partnership with the Dutchman, and he has also proved that he does not deserve to be dropped after putting in such an effortless performance.
Lovren must be sweating buckets after his teammate made jaws drop against the Hornets, and his future as a regular at Anfield is surely very bleak after this outing.
The Croatia star – who is on £100,000-a-week [Spotrac] – has no doubt dropped down the pecking order after this match, something which means that he is highly unlikely to get some minutes under his belt from now on.
Matip does not deserve to be overlooked after the impact he made on Wednesday and fingers crossed Klopp feels the same way.
Either way, Lovren’s chances of playing regularly now look very bleak – and he only has his teammate to blame for that.
