In the summer of 2014, Liverpool carried out their widely publicised raid on Southampton. The Reds, clearly impressed by the performances of the south coast side in their second season back in the top flight, looked to the individual performances of Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana as a means of improving the squad.
While Lambert lasted just a solitary season on Merseyside before his sale to West Brom, Lovren and Lallana remain part of Jurgen Klopp’s plans at Anfield. There’s reason to believe Lovren is now one of Liverpool’s most important centre-backs given his development under Klopp, a testament to the German’s managerial ability given the Croatian’s disappointing form following his switch.
Lallana, meanwhile, is one who has divided opinion since his switch to Liverpool. At £25m, a hefty fee amped up the pressure on the England international to succeed from the off, though in Brendan Rodgers’ questionable set up, that was easier said than done. The former Liverpool boss would regularly tinker with his system to bring out the best in his attackers, but ultimately would fail to stumble upon the right approach to benefit his team.
This eventually cost Rodgers his job, but with Klopp at the Anfield helm, there appears to be a plan set in motion. The German may not be working with players he has not bought in, but is performing sufficiently with the personnel at his disposal. Indeed, Lallana is perhaps a player Klopp would have welcomed the chance to manage when he arrived at the club.
The England international’s tenacity in the midfield and attacking third matches Klopp’s high pressing approach. It’s little shock, therefore, that only Liverpool three players have gained a better WhoScored rating than Lallana (7.13) since the 0-0 draw with Tottenham back in October, Klopp’s first game at the Liverpool helm. In that time, only Roberto Firmino (15) has won possession in the attacking third than Lallana (14), while only Emre Can (80) has done so more than the Englishman (59) in the midfield third.
While Lallana may come under scrutiny from some quarters of the Liverpool fanbase, he is still an asset to the manager. While not a direct like-for-like for any player Klopp had at his command during his time at Borussia Dortmund, the most similar player perhaps comes in the form of Shinji Kagawa. However, Lallana is one who toils off the ball more than his Japanese counterpart, which serves to reinforce his statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘defensive contribution’.
The 27-year-old is this season averaging a respectable 1.9 tackles per league match under Klopp, which given his position on the pitch, is a commendable return given the manager’s demands for his players to rob the opposition of possession as high up the pitch as possible. Meanwhile, he isn’t one who will simply rest on his laurels when he does win the ball for his side, instead taking it upon himself to drive Liverpool forward, exploiting the space left behind by opponents. Since Klopp’s appointment, only three players are averaging more successful dribbles per game than Lallana (1.4), who in turn is averaging the fourth most key passes per league (1.8) of every player at the club following the 48-year-old's appointment.
Not as flamboyant as Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino, as lethal as Daniel Sturridge - when fit - or as industrious as James Milner, Lallana is still an effective option for Klopp to call on, as his appearance in the dramatic 5-4 win over Norwich showed. His rating at Carrow Road (7.92) remains the fourth highest of all substitutes to play for 45 minutes or less in the Premier League this season.
Furthermore his three goals and six assists this season have all come under Klopp. With the former Dortmund boss instilling a sense of purpose at the club, Lallana’s position at Liverpool has become far less muddled than it was under Rodgers. Rather, Klopp has issued his requirements of Lallana and the player is adhering to these demands. While he was unable to help Liverpool to all three points at the weekend - that in part due to a nightmare 45-minute outing from the returning Martin Skrtel - Lallana was still the Reds’ most impressive performer, gaining a better WhoScored rating (8.10) than any other teammate.
An ability to laterally ghost between the lines allows for Lallana to crop up on either the right or left flank or carry the ball forward through the middle of the park, with his versatility a real benefit to Klopp. While he has not endeared himself to Liverpool supporters quite as well as he did at Southampton, Lallana is a useful option for the Liverpool manager and one who is carrying out the wishes of the German on the pitch.
Does Adam Lallana have a future at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
