We wouldn't expect any professional footballer to be happy when they are omitted from their nation's squad ahead of a major international tournament, but their are ways of expressing your anger and disappointment and Dejan Lovren hasn't necessarily chosen the most professional route. It's still very funny, though.
Lovren has endured a sketchy run of form during his two seasons with Liverpool, having previously been a regular member of Croatia's first XI after impressing with Lyon and then Southampton. A starter for Niko Kovacs at the 2014 World Cup, the centre-half will now have to enjoy Euro 2016 from the comfort of his armchair.
It isn't necessarily a question of form as to why Lovren has been dropped, but rather a falling out with coach Ante Cacic, stemming from the Liverpool man being released from international duty last month after being benched for a game against Hungary. Cacic claimed that Lovren had displayed a bad attitude during the match, prompting Lovren to state that he would not play for the national team unless he was guaranteed a starting place.
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Sure enough, Lovren hasn't made the cut for Cacic's squad and was quick to take to Instagram to let his national team manager know what he thought of the decision.
Lovren can at least console himself with the fact that he could very well win a European trophy, in the form of the Europa League, tomorrow night as Liverpool take on Sevilla in the final in Basel. It is doubtful that Cacic and Croatia, despite having the likes of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic at their disposal, will go on to lift the trophy on July 10th.
(H/T 101 Great Goals)
Topics: Dejan Lovren, Euro 2016, Football, Croatia