Arsenal fans will be hoping, along with our manager Arsene Wenger, that the Liverpool and Croatia centre back Dejan Lovren does not recover from his knee problem in time to make the starting line-up for the Reds tomorrow, but according to a report in The Telegraph he might.
The defender has been missing since their draw with Chelsea on 31st January and as Jurgen Klopp also let Mamadou Sakho join Crystal Palace on loan that day his injury has been a big problem for Liverpool. They have lost against Hull City and Leicester in the meantime, conceding five goals, so the chances of Arsenal breaching their back line would seem a lot stronger without Lovren to deal with.
Wenger will not know until tomorrow whether Lovren’s return to training will mean a return to the team as well, but if it does I wonder if it will alter the Frenchman’s team selection. Replacing the not very mobile or quick Lucas, who is really a midfielder anyway, with the experienced and strong Lovren might mean that Arsenal would be better off putting Giroud or Welbeck in the middle to occupy their defence, whereas you can see the pace and trickery of Alexis Sanchez causing Lucas a real nightmare.
Do you think that Arsenal team should reflect whether Liverpool have their big centre back or not?
Bob.