Liverpool legend John Aldridge took a dig at defender Dejan Lovren while heaping praise on his Reds teammate Virgil van Dijk for the way he performed in the 2-1 win over Tottenham.
The former Reds player shared that everyone was talking about how Van Dijk dealt with Son Heung-min and Moussa Sissoko both charging at him during Sunday’s game and drooled over the way the player handed the situation.
However while doing so Aldridge appeared to question Lovren’s ability as he confidently claimed the centre-back would have lunged in on Sissoko which would have made it easier for Spurs to score in that moment, and implied he didn’t have the same football intelligence as Van Dijk.
“One moment has been talked about more than any other from last Sunday’s game, and it was Virgil van Dijk’s defending as he was faced with Moussa Sissoko and Son Heung-min breaking on him at pace when the game was tied a 1-1,” wrote Aldridge in the Irish Independent.
“Liverpool’s defensive talisman needed some fortune to smile on him too, but I will join the ranks of those who give the former Celtic star credit for his role in averting the goal.
“His decision to keep Sissoko on his left foot and deny him the chance to get the ball to Son was quality defending at its most intelligent – and he was rewarded as Sissoko’s shot flew high over the bar.
“Essentially, Van Dijk weighed up the best and worst-case scenario in a crisis situation and came up with the answer that gave him the best chance of coming out on top against the France international.
“Dejan Lovren would have jumped in on Sissoko and either given him a chance to pass to Son or get past him, and I suspect Joel Matip may have done the same as most defenders now lack the intelligence Van Dijk showed in that situation.
“He had done his homework on the two players threatening the Liverpool goal, he appreciated that Sissoko couldn’t hit a barn door with his left foot and he earned the luck that came his way with the final outcome.”
OPINION
Well this is a new one. Lovren, who earns £100,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), managed to have his ability questioned after the win against Tottenham despite barely playing a minute of the match. The 29-year-old replaced Mohamed Salah in the 94th minute of Sunday’s clash and you can be forgiven if you forgot he played as a result. Yet despite not really doing much on Sunday, it seems Aldridge has taken a cheap shot, even if in-inadvertently, at the centre-back simply due to how well his teammate did. The Anfield legend had no reason to suggest how Lovren would have fared facing Sissoko and Son in that moment, and should have just focused on analysing Van Dijk. Lovren gets enough criticism from supporters as it is, as even though he has proved his worth at times, the fact he has made high-profile errors while wearing a Reds shirt often seems him made the scapegoat.
