Adam Lallana: The cog who makes the Liverpool system tick

Adam Lallana Jurgen Klopp
Adam Lallana has been a breath of fresh air for the Liverpool side under Jurgen Klopp

“Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.” – Unknown

This adage probably exemplifies Reds midfielder Adam Lallana, who has been at the receiving end of fans’ (and some pundits’) criticism ever since his £25m move from Southampton to Liverpool in the summer of 2014.

The price tag and a pick of attack-oriented statistics have often been used as a marker to underscore his perceived ineffectiveness and some believed there was little tangible output from him to justify the massive transfer outlay.

The arrival of Jurgen Klopp to Merseyside over one year ago lifted fans’ chins off the floor and pumped up excitement levels. It was also seen as the beginning of the end for the likes of Lallana, who was probably topping fan polls for player ousters under the new regime.

However, the attacker is among the first names on the team sheet following Klopp’s arrival at Liverpool and on Saturday night as Liverpool hosted West Bromwich Albion, the 28-year-old made his 100th appearance in a Red shirt.

We take a brief look at the midfielder’s past – the ups and downs, what brought him to Liverpool and most importantly, what is making him tick.

A scary beginning

Having enrolled into the Bournemouth Centre of Excellence aged five, Lallana moved to the Southampton academy at the age of twelve after being spotted by a Saints scout.

While on a scholarship at the St. Mary’s academy, the youngster was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease which adversely impacted his stamina for over two years.

At 17, he was also threatened by an irregular heartbeat problem which required corrective keyhole surgery and had the potential to end his football career before it had even begun. Speaking to the media in March 2014, Adam reflected:

“There was a small chance that things wouldn’t go according to plan. But I was young and part of me didn’t really understand what might have happened. I had a good family around me, a good group of friends who helped me through it. It was just frustrating I couldn’t play.”

Fortunately though, the surgery was successful and Lallana returned to the fold after a four-month layoff and hasn’t looked back since.


Saints: The dark days of relegation and bankruptcy

Adam Lallana starred for Saints in the lower divisions and when they returned to the top flight

In the early-mid 2000s, Southampton were struggling on and off the pitch. They were relegated from the Premier League to the Championship and went into administration at the end of the 2008/09 season.

This was Lallana’s first season as a first team regular at the end of which Southampton were further relegated to League One and were penalised 10 points for their financial instability.

He stuck with the club during these troubled times, not only due to circumstances but also by choice. His fitness levels - which suffered as a consequence of the bowel disease and the heartbeat irregularity - meant he was not exactly in as much demand by Premier League sides; but he did not want to make a move either, unlike then peers Gareth Bale, Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain or Theo Walcott.

“It wasn’t a risk. It was just what had to happen. I don’t recall ever being close to leaving, or having options to leave. It was better to stay, have two seasons in League One. I did get left behind a bit in my development – though I think the likes of Gareth, Chambo and Theo have the X-factor. I’ve had to bide my time, develop, and get better with the coaching here.”

Southampton’s relegation to the third division and the 10-point penalty piled up pressure at a club which was already suffering from monetary troubles. By the end of Lallana’s first full season, there had come a time when staff wages couldn’t be paid for over a month. During an interview back in 2013, Adam spoke about those dark days:

“I remember getting a phone call and being told we weren’t going to get paid. This was in the summer after we had been relegated to League One and we had minus 10 points [after a deduction for going into administration].


Promotion and captaincy

Lallana had a stellar 2009/10 season scoring 19 goals across competitions and assisting another 5 as Southampton finished in seventh position despite starting with -10 points and also lifted the Football League Trophy beating Carlisle United 4-1.

The Saints saw light at the end of the tunnel with back-to-back promotions in 2010/11 to the Championship and finally in 2011/12 to the Premier league under manager Nigel Adkins.

Adam Lallana played a crucial role along with Rickie Lambert, and captained the Saints through this challenging period while also knocking up the numbers – he had a hand in 24 goals (including assists) across all competitions during each of these two seasons.

His contribution saw him being included in the PFA League One Team of the Year for 2010/11 and the PFA Championship Team of the Year for 2011/12, a considerable achievement merited by sheer hard work and noteworthy performances.


Starring in the Premier League for Saints

Mauricio Pochettino
Adam Lallana perfromed at his best under current Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino arrived to take over as head coach at Southampton following their promotion to domestic top flight football.

Under his charge, Lallana scored 3 goals and created another 6, thereby playing a part in navigating the first season’s obstacles as the Saints finished 14th in the league in 2012/13.

It was in the Argentine’s second season that Lallana’s talents truly shone through. In a free role in the centre of the park, the midfielder made a mark scoring 9 goals and assisting a further 8 as Southampton finished in the top half of the table.

His superb run in 2013/14 saw him being voted as Southampton Players' Player and Fans' Player of the year. His form also ensured constant speculation about his future as Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea were rumoured to be interested in securing his signature in the summer.

Liverpool transfer and an unimpressive start

Adam Lallana transferred to Liverpool in a £25m move from St. Mary’s

The summer of 2014 saw Adam Lallana move up North to join Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, who were on a high following an unexpected title challenge in the just concluded 2013/14 season. He cost the Reds £25m, making him the most expensive incoming transfer for the club during the window.

On one hand, fans and experts debated if an overpriced Englishman from lowly Southampton was worth the money while others cried out for a marquee transfer to replace Luis Suarez who had swapped Spain for Merseyside.

Lallana’s start to his Liverpool career was far from rosy, to say the least. He was ruled out for six weeks as a consequence of an injury suffered during the Reds’ preseason tour, thereby missing the initial round of games in the league.

Liverpool blitzed past opponents the previous season and fans expected more of the same but the 2014/15 season was largely disappointing. Suarez was missed but others didn’t step up either; there was a dearth of goals and Daniel Sturridge was going through the worst injury nightmare of his career.

This led to blame games as newcomers were expected to contribute to results instantly. Needless to say, Lallana became the softest of targets, especially as he came with Premier League experience.

The price tag and some attack-oriented statistics have often been used as a marker to underscore his perceived ineffectiveness in an underperforming Liverpool team. After all, there was precious little output from him to justify such a massive outlay, it was said.

He scored a few crucial goals – five in the league and three assists to boot – but Liverpool needed much more. He was required to score in double figures and create some more as an attacking midfielder; Lallana had fallen short of expectations and as is the norm, found himself swiftly out of favour among the Anfield faithful.

It was conveniently ignored that whenever the ex-Saints captain got some rhythm going and was in fine form, his run was cruelly disrupted – first by a hamstring and then a groin injury.

Liverpool finished the season in 6th place - far from title challengers, they did not even make the top 4.

The 2015/16 season started off in equally uneventful fashion with the Reds managing just 12 points in 8 Premier League games. The pressure finally got to Brendan Rodgers who was asked to leave, following the 1-1 stalemate in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

Jurgen Klopp took charge at Liverpool on 8th October, 2015 and his arrival was seen as the beginning of the end for some players, especially the then 27-year-old Adam Lallana and his former Southampton teammate Dejan Lovren.


Poch keeping the faith

Following Klopp’s appointment, erstwhile Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino was asked an interesting question about his former charge Adam Lallana’s Liverpool future to which he emphatically responded thus:

'Lallana is a great, unbelievable player, one of the best in England. Lallana can adapt his skill to different styles. For me he is one of the best players in England.'

The Argentine’s comment and show of faith indicate how highly he continued to rate Lallana despite parting ways with the Reds midfielder more than 18 months ago then.

Klopp’s Liverpool, and finally Lallana’s too

A stoppage time winner from Lallana sent Liverpool fans and players into delirious celebrations

The German manager’s arrival sparked warranted enthusiasm among fans, some of whom predicted a complete overhaul of players, including Lallana.

It has been anything but.

Klopp’s changes have been slow and imperceptible in personnel and more marked in style, training and fitness. Detractors and critics have been left stumped over the course of the gaffer’s fledgling reign as Lallana has been a regular feature of his side.

The manager’s first game was a goalless draw against Spurs at the White Hart Lane; Lallana literally ran himself into the ground during the game. The player falling into Klopp’s arms while being substituted on the night has been a hallmark of his Reds tenure.

The fixtures that followed have showcased more of the same, with the midfielder an unparalleled embodiment of Klopp’s gegenpressing style. One of his most memorable games in a Red shirt is the 5-4 win against Norwich – a see-saw game which saw the Merseysiders clinching all three points deep into stoppage time thanks to Lallana’s last minute winner.

The German has repeatedly reiterated the former Southampton man’s underlying importance to Liverpool’s play. In walking the talk, Klopp has included Lallana in as many games as has been possible given fixture congestion and allowing for recovery.

For his part, the player has worked on fitness and dietary habits, thereby ensuring that he lasts the distance during games with regular substitutions around 70 minutes no longer being required.


Lallana has started off the 2016/17 season in blistering fashion with 3 goals and 3 assists to his name in a newer, slightly deeper left-central midfield position. With freedom to move, swap flanks and more of the pitch ahead of him, Lallana is thoroughly enjoying his role.

It is his intangible contribution that is most effective though. He keeps setting records for distance covered by a player in a single league fixture – the 13.1 km he ran against Leicester City currently topping the charts (and breaking the 12.5km record he set against Spurs).

It is not about the numbers or pace though; his runs and work rate are important as he leads Liverpool’s press, harries and hustles opponents into making mistakes, while also contributing defensively with take-ons and tackles.

Following Lallana’s exploits against Hull City, in which he scored once and created two more for his teammates, Klopp effused praise on one of his favourite charges:

“Honestly, since I am here Adam is the player you saw against Hull. It’s not about always performing like this, it’s about working attitude, being involved in all the team things in all sessions. He likes to train, he likes to work, he was like this from the first day. This is now the credit he takes from the work he did.”


The undeniable impact Lallana has had though, is on the fan base. No longer accused of not scoring or contributing enough, his name is often the loudest sung on the Kop these days.

It is credit to the player’s attitude, perseverance and work rate, combined with complete assimilation of Klopp’s philosophy that has led to this remarkable shift in perception.In the days leading up to Liverpool’s home game against Manchester United, it is over his fitness - and not Daniel Sturridge or Divock Origi’s – fans were sweating about. If that is not telling enough impression, little else could be.

Lallana was brought on, on the hour mark against United and there was instant mobility and change in the way the home side attacked. Against West Brom, it was just a couple of minutes after he was substituted that there was a brief let up in midfield, causing unnecessary confusion.

The ex-Saints man was Liverpool’s ‘Player of the month’ for September and was also nominated as Premier League Player of the month for the same period. It is indeed heartening to finally see some long overdue recognition come Lallana’s way as fans begin to realise the ‘off-the-ball’ impact he has and not just in front of goal.

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Leadership and mentality

Jurgen Klopp
Lallana has been Liverpool’s best player this season

A player willing to give his all for the team, one who has previous captaincy experience and is a vocal presence on the field – Lallana is all of this in one package deal.When asked about his new role in midfield for the Reds, Lallana said:

"I'm enjoying it and [this is] a squad full of great players. If you look around, there are a lot of players that can play in two or three positions, which definitely helps. It's a different role but one I'll embrace and I'll play wherever the manager wants me to play as long as it benefits the team."

In an era where players demand to play in favoured positions, throw tantrums and force moves to have their way, the midfielder’s attitude to put the team’s cause ahead of his own is refreshing.

Of his captaincy at Southampton, former teammate and now Arsenal defender Calum Chambers said:

"I was a bit young when Bale and Theo were in the team, but Lallana is really helpful. You can speak to him about anything. He will give you advice and tell you things that he went through when he was in the academy."

His current teammates speak of him with equally high regard. Reds vice-captain James Milner is an ardent admirer of Lallana’s technique and ability while also heaping praise on his dressing room presence.

“He seems to take everything in his stride, no matter how bad the pass is or how bobbly the pitch is or any situation really – he’s that sort of character. He’s great around the dressing room; he’s a big character and an experienced player as well. He’s great for us as a team on and off the field and I can only see him getting better and better. I think it’s going to be a big season for him.”

For a team that is constantly berated for lack of leaders, Lallana’s skills will surely be welcome.


The numbers game

It is just 9 games into the season but Lallana’s scores confirm the improvement and underscore his impact.

As much as his passing accuracy is commendable, his attempted take-ons and interceptions are as critical for Liverpool. Also very important to note are the possession metrics which indicate how difficult it has been to take the ball off of him.

Analysing Lallana’s numbers during his Liverpool stint so far (Courtesy: Squawka.com)

Conclusion

Over the course of the 12 months that Klopp has been in charge, Lallana has adequately justified the gaffer’s faith.

Klopp’s reign has reinvigorated the player and the manager’s style suits him to the T, thereby also getting the best out of him. The German’s coaching and style has certainly underlined Lallana as the key cog who makes the Reds’ system function at its optimal best.

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Edited by Staff Editor