Defender of the month, September, 2013: The nominees
The defence is the bedrock upon which any champion side is built. The defence can mean the difference between all three points or a sordid draw, the group in the team that may bring that one extra point out of the game when the creative forces couldn’t conjure up much for the side. The defence may define a season, winning you silverware or keeping a side safe from relegation.
Taking stock of the defensive performances in the month of September, here are your nominees for defender of the month.
Dejan Lovren (CB – Southampton)
The Saints have improved themselves each year on by means of some shrewd pieces of business in the transfer market and a prime example has been Dejan Lovren. The Croatian’s presence at the heart of the Southampton defence seems to have added a new gear to the Hampshire side. The Croat has seemed every bit as worth the £8.5m Southampton shelled out for him in the summer.
The Saints sit comfortably at sixth in the Premier League table and a large part of their success story has been because of their steady defence. In six games, the Saints have conceded just 2 goals all season and none in all competitions on the month of September.
Their impressive run includes a shutout at Anfield against a Liverpool side that had looked rampant in the early running, having won their first four games of the campaign. With Lovren scoring the winner that secured only the 4th ever victory for Southampton in 37 games at Anfield, it serves as icing on the cake for the impressive Lovren.