18 Nov 2017 11:39:21
Apparently we'll be without Matip today. Lovren will partner Klavan (only repeating what some press are saying) . I hope the lad puts in a storming performance for his and our sakes.
18 Nov 2017 14:56:58
Definitely out. Going to be a difficult afternoon with the Chuckle brothers in the middle.
18 Nov 2017 15:20:59
I think the chucklebrothers would be more comfortable passing to each other :D.
18 Nov 2017 16:55:30
I think both of them had a good game.
18 Nov 2017 18:36:38
A good defensive performance by the boys today but SFC made it fairly easy for us in many respects. that said, I thought Lovren did well in the unusual position on the right of centre back. he clearly focused more rather than getting at himself about potential mistakes. Well done to the lad! Was also really nice to hear the fans giving him great support.
19 Nov 2017 07:43:29
I do question Klavan defending abilities but he did look very comfortable on the ball and generally passed it about quite well. Lovren's life seems to be like a soap opera at the moment, his wife, robberies or attempted robbery on his home etc are maybe reasons why he is not 100% on the pitch however a player who defends so well for Croatia and Southampton before joining us is a real mystery why he is so prone to errors in a red shirt. Great Boss result from the lads today well done! On a side note I was a fan of the Saints goalie before today, for a big lad he had an absolute shocker.
19 Nov 2017 12:25:15
It's because we play a higher line and he needs to concentrate on his positioning a lot more with us because there'll be too much space for him to make up if he's caught out Carlos. It's not really a mystery.
He was good against Southampton, though. I know they didn't attack all that much, but he dealt with the few attacks they did put together well. He's often been guilty of switching off and letting the opposition in when he has nothing to do for long periods of a game, but there was none of that yesterday.
20 Nov 2017 09:20:03
Lovren’s always looked more comfortable when on the right IMO - and Hendo did a good job of sitting a bit deeper and protecting the back 4. I know our CBs aren’t the best around but they are far better than we give them credit for if we play a system that gives them some cover.
20 Nov 2017 11:25:22
Since when did the opposition need to put pressure on our back line for it to be dreadful and give them chances? They did well today. And frankly, people can question Klavan as much as they like - he's not perfect but since he's come in we've conceeded almost nothing and looked much better across the whole back line. Midfield protection doing it's job has also helped.