This is a moment when an interview could end abruptly. Dejan Lovren’s eyes have narrowed and his gaze is fixed on his inquisitor, as the topic of dealing with criticism is introduced.
Lovren was once an emblem of Liverpool’s unpredictability, an expensive recruit who looked the part, but would lapse when it mattered. To give an idea of where his reputation was 12 months ago, manager Jurgen Klopp had to defend publicly the club’s reason for handing him a new contract.
He heads into Saturday’s Champions League final, though, as a defensive totem.
Dejan Lovren was once an emblem of Liverpool’s unpredictability but has vastly improved
Lovren’s partnership with Virgil van Dijk is flourishing and his form helped Liverpool finish the domestic campaign with 17 clean sheets, the best return since 2009-10.
Nobody is criticising the Croatia international any more. So how did he cope during the difficult times? The question is met with a pause, just long enough to leave you wondering what might happen next. Then comes the response.
‘Your words,’ he says, specifying the media rather than an individual. ‘Your words. When people say I am not good enough, I will just show you I am good enough. It is as simple as that.
Lovren’s partnership with Virgil van Dijk secured 17 clean sheets in the domestic campaign
‘I like when people talk bad about me. When I have the confidence of the manager, I don’t need anything to reassure me any more. Of course you have one or two situations where you don’t play well, but which defender doesn’t make mistakes? Sometimes people make it bigger than it is. But it is how it is with me.
‘I struggled a lot in my life from day one and, you know, there is belief within me. It will never go.
‘People would mock me at school. As a teenager, they said “you cannot play like a defender”. ‘People said I didn’t have a left foot, that I wasn’t quick enough.
Nobody is criticising the Croatian any more as he prepares for a Champions League final
‘You know what? All these small things, they push me. I don’t have a left foot? I will hit better today with my left foot than my right. I always work on these situations.
‘It helps me to be honest. And criticism, even if I don’t like it, I like it to hear — I know what to improve at the end.’
There is no question Lovren has improved and there is something symbolic about the fact he will square up to Cristiano Ronaldo and Company on Saturday for there is a score to settle that dates back to October 2014.
When Liverpool returned to the Champions League four years ago, they were paired in the same group as Madrid. The draw was greeted by Liverpudlians with glee, a sign that a five-year break from the best competition was over.
The reality, though, would prove horribly different.
Lovren was part of the squad to play Madrid four years ago when they were beaten twice
Liverpool were outclassed at Anfield, losing 3-0. The return in the Bernabeu, meanwhile, was a farce with Brendan Rodgers selecting a skeleton team, having prioritised a Premier League game against Chelsea. Liverpool lost 1-0, but the scoreline did not reflect the gulf in class.
What is to say the same won’t happen in Kiev? Lovren pauses again. He played in that game and experienced the full power of Madrid. Now, though, he expects a completely different outcome.
‘The only thing that is similar to that night is the name — Liverpool,’ says Lovren. ‘When you look at the players and everything we have changed a lot.
He claims this Liverpool team is entirely different and capable of defeating Los Blancos in Kiev
‘Me and Jordan Henderson are the only players left who played against them. I am so much more confident in the team now than I was then. I feel the team is ready to battle against every team in the world. We showed that against Manchester City (in the quarter-finals). City showed all throughout this season that they are one of the best teams in the world but they came up against Liverpool. Nobody has played a team like us.
‘Real Madrid didn’t play against us (in 2014) like we play today.
‘We are totally different now. If you ask every player what they want to achieve in life the answer is to win the Champions League.
‘We want to make history and lift the trophy with Klopp. People talk about us winning five times, five times. There is always something you can change.’