--- title: "Liverpool: Dejan Lovren hasn’t travelled with Reds squad for Super Cup" canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/liverpool-dejan-lovren-hasnt-travelled-with-reds-squad-for-super-cup/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Liam Togher" section: "Liverpool Football Club" published: "2019-08-14T14:55:05Z" modified: "2019-08-14T14:55:05Z" --- # Liverpool: Dejan Lovren hasn’t travelled with Reds squad for Super Cup **Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren has not travelled with Jurgen Klopp’s squad for tonight’s UEFA Super Cup meeting against Chelsea in Istanbul.** According to [BBC](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/49332825), Klopp said that the 30-year-old Croatia defender was not among the travelling party for the game in Turkey and added that he had “[no idea](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/49332825)” if Lovren would still be at the club in a few weeks’ time. Yesterday, the [Evening Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/liverpool/liverpool-fc-and-as-roma-in-transfer-talks-over-15m-deal-for-lovren-a4211976.html) reported that the Liverpool centre-back was in talks with Roma over a possible £15m move to the Serie A side, having fallen down the pecking order at Anfield. ![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/THE-BREAKDOWN.png) Lovren has not played in either of Liverpool’s two competitive games so far this season, having been an [unused substitute in the Community Shield against Manchester City](https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1373296/Live/England-Community-Shield-2018-2019-Liverpool-Manchester-City) and [left out of the matchday squad for the 4-1 Premier League win over Norwich](https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1375927/Live/England-Premier-League-2019-2020-Liverpool-Norwich). Last season he made only [11 league starts](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren) for the Reds and [two substitute appearances](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren). Having [started the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in January](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/dejan-lovren/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/37838/plus/0/saison/2018/wettbewerb/GB1/verein/31), he had to wait nearly four months for his [next Premier League start against Huddersfield](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/dejan-lovren/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/37838/plus/0/saison/2018/wettbewerb/GB1/verein/31) towards the end of the campaign. He started in only two games of Liverpool’s triumphant Champions League campaign, the [2-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the group stage](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/dejan-lovren/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/37838/plus/0/saison/2018/wettbewerb/CL/verein/31) and the [quarter-final first-leg win over Porto](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/dejan-lovren/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/37838/plus/0/saison/2018/wettbewerb/CL/verein/31). With just [18 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/liverpool-fc/leistungsdaten/verein/31/plus/0?reldata=%262018) in all competitions totalling [1,261 minutes](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/liverpool-fc/leistungsdaten/verein/31/plus/0?reldata=%262018) in 2018/19, he was Liverpool’s least utilised senior centre-back. Joe Gomez was out for four months with a [fractured leg](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11669/11627807/liverpools-joe-gomez-to-undergo-surgery-on-fractured-leg) yet still made [25 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/liverpool-fc/leistungsdaten/verein/31/plus/0?reldata=%262018) and played [1,583 minutes](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/liverpool-fc/leistungsdaten/verein/31/plus/0?reldata=%262018). Joel Matip played in [31 games](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/liverpool-fc/leistungsdaten/verein/31/plus/0?reldata=%262018) for a total of [2,342 minutes](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/liverpool-fc/leistungsdaten/verein/31/plus/0?reldata=%262018) while Virgil van Dijk made [50 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/liverpool-fc/leistungsdaten/verein/31/plus/0?reldata=%262018) and featured for [4,465 minutes](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/liverpool-fc/leistungsdaten/verein/31/plus/0?reldata=%262018). Prior to last season, Lovren made [at least 22 Premier League starts in every campaign at Liverpool](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren), peaking with [29 starting appearances in the 2016/17 campaign](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren). Of the Reds’ four senior centre-backs in 2018/19, he recorded the lowest passing success rate ([86.6%; Van Dijk was highest with 89.7%](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren)) and the fewest interceptions per game ([0.8](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren), just over half of Matip’s [1.5](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren) average). \[[via WhoScored.com](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren)\] However, his [1.2 tackles per game](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren) were more than Gomez ([1.1](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren)) and Van Dijk ([one](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren)), while only Van Dijk won more aerial duels per game ([4.8](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren)) than Lovren’s [4.1](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren). \[[via WhoScored.com](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/29106/History/Dejan-Lovren)\] ![](https://cdn.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Verdict.png) Lovren’s tackling and aerial ability could still be an asset to Liverpool’s defence, which looked wide open at times on Friday as Norwich managed to rattle off [12 shots](https://www.whoscored.com/Matches/1375927/Live/England-Premier-League-2019-2020-Liverpool-Norwich) at Anfield. However, after struggling for game-time last season and with Gomez back from injury, he could find his minutes very limited at Liverpool again in 2019/20 if he stays, and tonight’s game could have been a good opportunity for him to prove a point to Klopp if he had been available. If the Reds’ defence is as miserly as last season (only [22 Premier League goals conceded](https://www.premierleague.com/tables?co=1&se=210&ha=-1)), though, Lovren will likely find it extremely difficult to be a regular part of the starting line-up again this term – if he stays at Anfield. ***Liverpool fans, are you disappointed that Lovren won’t feature tonight and would you miss him if he left Anfield this season? Give us your thoughts by commenting below!***