Dejan Lovren looks scared when playing football, criticizes Rio Ferdinand
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Despite Liverpool walking away with a point against Napoli, Rio Ferdinand criticised Reds’ star Dejan Lovren for his part in Napoli’s opener. The Reds now sit one point above Napoli in Group E and face RB Salzburg next with the Austrian giants only three points behind in the race for first-place.
Despite Dries Mertens’ opener, Liverpool managed to claw back a point after Dejan Lovren’s header but failed to make the most of their home advantage. Napoli beat the Reds in the reverse fixture in Naples earlier this season and many expected Jurgen Klopp and company to make the most of their home advantage this time around.
But nothing went their way and despite walking away with a point, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand was not impressed with the way the home side defended and believed that they have a lot to improve upon. Ferdinand went on to admit that both Dejan Lovren and Virgil Van Dijk were not at their best and struggled to defend against a potent Napoli side.
“Once the ball gets out there, Lovren has a decision to make. He sees his friend, his partner, Van Dijk, is hurt on the halfway line. There’s a big gap there where players are looking to run into and if goes across there, he nullifies that threat there. He doesn’t do that, he decides to take a chance by holding the line, but I just don’t agree with that at all by doing that,” said Ferdinand to BT Sports.
“A player with pace who can back himself against quick players, someone like myself or Van Dijk, would have come across here and gone ‘Right, I’ll race you, I’ll race you to the ball that’s being played down there and I’ll back myself to win that’. A player who’s lacking pace, who’s frightened, will take chances just as Lovren does, and he gets punished,” he added.
