Dejan Lovren is not going to be a part of the Croatia team which faces Finland in their penultimate World cup qualifier on Friday, after being ruled out due to an injury. The centre-back, who has played the last three games for us, has been taking up to five painkillers to get through the games and it seems like his international manager will have to give him a break.
Ante Cacic, the Croatia manager was speaking to the media before the game and IBTimes carried the quotes where he confirmed our defender has been playing without even training.
“Lovren is playing without training, with the help of injections and pills. After every game it takes time for recovery.”
The Croatian FA might have given Lovren a rest for the Finland match but he could be picked for the game against Ukraine on Monday. Should Croatia win their matches, they will make it to Russia 2018 but anything else other than that, and it would be a nervy finish for the side.
Lovren has come under a lot of criticism this season but the former Southampton man’s plight should be taken under consideration. He has had a bit of a downer in his private life and his stark admission that he has been playing regularly despite being injured, by consuming painkillers should give him some sympathy from us fans.
“I have problems with my whole body for the last two weeks, my back and now I have hurt my achilles tendon,” he told Sportske Novosti (h/t the Guardian).
“I am taking pills so I can play – five before every game. I play but I cannot train at all. That’s why I skipped matches against Manchester City and Burnley.”
It certainly has been a tough time for the central defender and not many should blame him for some of the mistakes he might have done during his games. Playing through the pain barrier is one thing but playing without any rest or recuperation from injuries can and will lead to more damage to the body.
Lovren deciding to play for us, irrespective of his physical condition, is a testament to his commitment to the club but truth be told, he should he rested for a while.
It is something that Jurgen Klopp cannot do since we do not have a quality defender to replace Lovren. Ragnar Klavan has struggled to perform this season while Joe Gomez is still young and has seen better days playing as our right-back rather.
The former Southampton man does need a break from the first team and if he doesn’t play for his national side, he might come back a little better. But Klopp has to get someone in January, otherwise we might end up losing Lovren for a really long time.
