Center back Dejan Lovren shouldn't have claimed that he is one of the game's top players ahead of the World Cup final against France, and is a major reason for why Croatia conceded four goals during Sunday's game in Moscow.
“One of the big things through the past week has been the statement from Dejan Lovren, who’s come out and done this ‘Hey look at me I am a really good defender. You all criticized me, but in fact I am one of the best defenders in the world,’” Schmeichel said in the aftermath of the 4-2 defeat.
“That is a very bad idea to say that. Today he didn’t show that he was one of the best. His partner Domagoj Vida did not show that either. They were not very good today,” continued the former Denmark goalkeeper.
After Croatia's win over England in the semi-final, Lovren accused his critics of previously "talking nonsense," and claimed that he "took Liverpool," his club team, to the final of the Champions League, where they lost to Real Madrid.
"Maybe Lovren got a little bit ahead of himself. In the last two months two of the biggest finals you can play he has played in and he has lost. So he's not had a great time. And one of the reasons France scored four goals today was the unrest in that Croatian defense," summed up Schmeichel.