Friday 8 April 2016 23:58, UK
Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren believes he has learned from past mistakes to become a better player.
The Croatia international put in an impressive performance alongside centre-back partner Mamadou Sakho in the 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in Germany to give his side a chance of progressing in next week's Europa League quarter-final second leg.
That was despite walking the disciplinary tightrope of knowing a booking would have ruled him out of what is likely to be a highly-charged return at Anfield.
It was arguably one of the 26-year-old's best performances for the club since arriving in the summer of 2014, having struggled to reproduce the form he showed for Southampton prior to his £20m move.
During his settling-in process Lovren was prone to the odd error or miscalculation and at times he looked timid and reticent and, as a result, failed to dominate opponents.
But he managed to keep Dortmund's attacking trio of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marco Reus quiet while managing to avoid a yellow card.
"It was difficult for me because I want to play every game but when you think about bookings you will get a booking," he said.
"So I didn't think about it, I just concentrated on my game and my defensive things and it was okay.
"I will do everything for my team but I think I have learned from my mistakes, I think I am a little bit cleverer now. I am more experienced today."
As for his improving partnership with Sakho, Lovren added: "After a couple of games together it is much easier to understand each other and we hope to continue like that."
