Liverpool’s centre half situation has been inconsistent this season, with at least one of starting duo Joël Matip and Dejan Lovren reliably out of service for just about every match. It’s meant plenty of appearances for both Ragnar Klavan and Lucas Leica, along with some grumbling about Mamadou Sakho.
After a long run with only Lovren available, in recent weeks it’s been Matip who has played while Lovren deals with a back injury. Both could be available for Sunday’s top four clash against Manchester City after Lovren completed 75 minutes with the reserves to positive reviews and a clean bill of health.
Manager Jürgen Klopp was on hand for the U23 reserve match on Monday night, as Liverpool took on Chelsea and won comfortably by a 2-0 margin thanks to goals by Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Wilson along with a solid defensive performance from Lovren alongside Joe Gomez.
First team rotation options Kevin Stewart, Sheyi Ojo, and Marko Grujic also played a full 90 minutes in a game where Liverpool were uniformly impressive against the league leaders’ reserves. Along with news of Lovren’s progress, though, the main talking point was the play of Alexander-Arnold.
The young right back impressed beyond his goal, a free kick effort from just outside the box in the 75th minute. The 18-year-old defender well when called upon, delivered a number of dangerous crosses, and ended up named Liverpool’s man of the match for his high quality performance.