Topic: Adam Lallana

[ThePeetmix]

Reminds me of a poor man's version of Kagawa in terms of skill and circumstance.  Similarly good technically, but with even less end product to show for it.  For whatever reason, prolly fair to say he hasn't quite hit the heights you lot would have expected.  Sane will take his spot in the 1st XI, but he'll still likely fill a useful role as a squad player.

Wait, do you know something Man City don't?

[Bend It Like Aurelio]

Reminds me of a poor man's version of Kagawa in terms of skill and circumstance.  Similarly good technically, but with even less end product to show for it.  For whatever reason, prolly fair to say he hasn't quite hit the heights you lot would have expected.  Sane will take his spot in the 1st XI, but he'll still likely fill a useful role as a squad player.

Someone please post an inspiring GIF to make me understand what's happening here....

[DanA]

Someone please post an inspiring GIF to make me understand what's happening here....

I think he means Mane

[AaronSingh25]

Would anyone support a theory that he could be deployed further back in a (attacking) midfield role, in a midfield three. Hate to use the term, but he has defined the role - the Modric role; an attacking, creative player who can put in a tackle and work hard for the team. Rogers employed Coutinho there during the 2013 season season, but for all the creativity Coutinho offered he did make the midfield lite against the top teams.

Lallana's work rate under Klopp has been outstanding, he's really stepped it up. But for all the Cryuff step overs, he still doesn't give enough creatively; be it goals, assists, crosses, pace, etc

We do seem to lack some creativity in the middle, and Lallana may offer that perfect balance. Thoughts?

Like i said, his pressing, hard work and creativity is something we could do with IN MIDFIELD. Doesn't have the quality or pace to be a winger up front.

[-Willo-]

He's such a unique player, he has incredible vision in them tight spaces in and around the box, imagine how unreal he would've been during the Sterling-Sturridge-Suarez season.... Them 3 running rings around defences with him behind, shame he came a year later.

[SlowRap]

Nice understanding between Adam, Bob and Mane

[Frank Becton]

He has been excellent today, doing quite a lot of good work centrally too.

[SerbianScouser]

I thoroughly enjoyed watching him in midfield 3 these two games and I would love to see him being used there in a proper competitive game. I think it`s his best position and we don`t have to watch him trying to do something that is not natural to him but seeing his wonderful technique and skills giving us edge in the midfield even against best passing team in the world.

[JackWard33]

Oitstanding today and Klopp absolutely loves him - he's going to feature a lot more than most of the pre season formations I've seen posted on here

[NaivetyinBlack]

Quintessential Klopper.

So important to our balance and pressing game.

[Yorkykopite]

Oitstanding today and Klopp absolutely loves him - he's going to feature a lot more than most of the pre season formations I've seen posted on here

Don't we all love him? That really strange combination of delicate skills and ferocious running.

[vagabond]

If Lallana could finish, he'd be too good for us.

[King Klopp.]

Says on Instagram that he is hoping to get some minutes in tomorrow's games at Mainz.

[JackWard33]

Don't we all love him? That really strange combination of delicate skills and ferocious running.

I do - he's boss. He had an unlucky season in front of goal last year and that got him grief from some quarters but he's a top player and seeing him play deeper is really exciting

[ToneLa]

Really impressed with him today, his positioning looked top notch - the slide for the last goal especially, but he basically made two of our goals with nippy, decent interceptions.

He's sort of been like Joe Allen for me - some quality, but never truly convinced me.

If he keeps up this sort of performance I'll be eating me words faster than the average Guardian commenter!

[King Klopp.]

I do - he's boss. He had an unlucky season in front of goal last year and that got him grief from some quarters but he's a top player and seeing him play deeper is really exciting

He didn't have an unlucky season. He had his usual season. He doesn't score much. Never has. Which is why, in my opinion, he looks better playing deeper. He's a brilliant footballer with fantastic work rate. Think he suits playing deeper a lot more than he does being a forward player. He'll be a very useful and important member of the squad this season.

[na fir dearg]

Was brilliant but i wish he would shoot more often  - seems maybe lacking confidence when in on goal, hopefully Klopp can work on that

nevertheless, if he played like that all the time id be more than happy

[SlowRap]

Said it in the game thread how he shut a lot of his critics up, did anyone even have him in their first 11 formations? He's a Klopp player to the T his pressing is invaluable, his one touch play is great and you can see him encouraging players on the pitch. Didn't Klopp say Adam was our trigger to press? It's silly to think he would not play him.

Anyway slight rant over; I enjoy watching Adam Lallana play football.

[mc_red22]

Said it in the game thread how he shut a lot of his critics up, did anyone even have him in their first 11 formations? He's a Klopp player to the T his pressing is invaluable, his one touch play is great and you can see him encouraging players on the pitch. Didn't Klopp say Adam was our trigger to press? It's silly to think he would not play him.

Anyway slight rant over; I enjoy watching Adam Lallana play football.

What critics would they be exactly? His "critics" from what I can recall didn't question his pressing or his technical ability, it was goals. Did he score and I missed it or something?

There's a huge difference between being a big fan of Lallana and thinking that he should be starting ahead of Coutinho, Firmino or Mane though. I love watching the guy play football, he's technically gifted for sure but pressing alone shouldn't be enough to get into the team. The other lads do that but they also score goals.

[SerbianScouser]

Didn't Klopp say Adam was our trigger to press? It's silly to think he would not play him.

Will his pressing be needed vs Burnley and Hull? That`s my thing with him, against Arsenal and Spurs I think he`ll be one of the first names on the team-sheet but now that we have a lot of good options vs the likes of Burnely and Hull we can go with one-man midfield in Can and just go with 5 players in Gini, Phil, Mane, Firmino and Sturridge having a mighty go at them.

[UNO]

I think Adam performs much better as a midfield 3 than being an striker. His great technics is exactly what we need in midfield to keep the ball and skip through one or two players with a turn. I think he will adapt well there. As a striker he is never good enough, he tends to fluff his shots every time and seldom assists. Maybe midfield is his new position against some teams who like to flood the midfield with 4 or 5 players.

[Keith Lard]

There must always be a place in our squad for a player like Lallana that had tremendous attitude, work rate, technique, vision an skill. Who knows? Maybe this year he will find those shooting boots!

[JackWard33]

What critics would they be exactly? His "critics" from what I can recall didn't question his pressing or his technical ability, it was goals. Did he score and I missed it or something?

There's a huge difference between being a big fan of Lallana and thinking that he should be starting ahead of Coutinho, Firmino or Mane though. I love watching the guy play football, he's technically gifted for sure but pressing alone shouldn't be enough to get into the team. The other lads do that but they also score goals.

They're totally different players though.
Firmino and Mane aren't effective dropping deeper and don't help us transition up the pitch and they don't keep the ball in the final third - they're forwards and pretty direct forwards. Lallana is outstanding at these things and is effective deeper (he'sat his best in the Iniesta role basically . There's a reason Klopp keeps picking him. It's about building a team with a system that works if it was a game of 'play the players that score the most goals' we wouldn't need to pay a manager 7 million quid a year
If your question is which of Firmino, Mane or Lallana would you pick to play as a second striker or in a front 3 - Lallana is finishing 3rd every time but that's not why Klopp is picking him

[SlowRap]

Will his pressing be needed vs Burnley and Hull? That`s my thing with him, against Arsenal and Spurs I think he`ll be one of the first names on the team-sheet but now that we have a lot of good options vs the likes of Burnely and Hull we can go with one-man midfield in Can and just go with 5 players in Gini, Phil, Mane, Firmino and Sturridge having a mighty go at them.

Good point but I don't think we're at that stage of squad development whereby we can pick and choose our strongest side. For me Lallana is in the eleven if we're picking our strongest team. Where does he plays? That's up to Klopp. I think Lallana will start against the likes of Hull however if we need another option (during the game) then he will be the one sacrificed.

[LallanaInPyjamas]

Will his pressing be needed vs Burnley and Hull? That`s my thing with him, against Arsenal and Spurs I think he`ll be one of the first names on the team-sheet but now that we have a lot of good options vs the likes of Burnely and Hull we can go with one-man midfield in Can and just go with 5 players in Gini, Phil, Mane, Firmino and Sturridge having a mighty go at them.

Personally, I can't see that front five working effectively on a consistent basis. I think you need a player like Lallana, Milner or Henderson in there to do the hard running and connect midfield to attack.

Lallana over Wijnaldum for me anyway. I know Wijnaldum's new and shiny and everything, but honestly, Lallana is simply a superior footballer.

[Crosby Nick]

I have to admit that when doing the thing of predicting starting line ups for the new season I'd left Lallana out but his performance against Barca shows why he is such a Klopp favourite. Being the 3rd man in midfield really suited him well and I definitely think he'll be featuring heavily there this season. Whether he starts there against Arsenal or whether we go for a more 'solid' 3 of Can, Hendo and Wijnaldum is up for debate but I think he should (and will) start there.

[LallanaInPyjamas]

I have to admit that when doing the thing of predicting starting line ups for the new season I'd left Lallana out but his performance against Barca shows why he is such a Klopp favourite. Being the 3rd man in midfield really suited him well and I definitely think he'll be featuring heavily there this season. Whether he starts there against Arsenal or whether we go for a more 'solid' 3 of Can, Hendo and Wijnaldum is up for debate but I think he should (and will) start there.

What makes you think Wijnaldum is a more solid option than Lallana? He's a bit bulkier with a slightly better passing range but I think Lallana is a harder worker with more defensive awareness.

Personally I'd be going Lallana and Henderson ahead of Can, with Phil, Firmino and Mane up front. Think that has a really good balance to it.

[Crosby Nick]

What makes you think Wijnaldum is a more solid option than Lallana? He's a bit bulkier with a slightly better passing range but I think Lallana is a harder worker with more defensive awareness.

Personally I'd be going Lallana and Henderson ahead of Can, with Phil, Firmino and Mane up front. Think that has a really good balance to it.

I'd just been picturing Lallana as one of the forward three options as per last season but definitely think where he played on Saturday suites him to a tee.

[MD1990]

The obsession with stats means Lallana is underated. Been excellent since Klopp came in.

[LallanaInPyjamas]

I'd just been picturing Lallana as one of the forward three options as per last season but definitely think where he played on Saturday suites him to a tee.

That's fair mate but let's not forget Wijnaldum was a front three player last season as well. It's very early days for him and I think it will take a bit of time for him to adapt to Klopp's methods; I thought he looked a bit sluggish and slow to react to danger in midfield against Barcelona on Saturday, which would make me nervous against Arsenal. I'd rather see him eased in myself (and earn his place) but the gaffer knows best!

[Lynndenberries]

I'd just been picturing Lallana as one of the forward three options as per last season but definitely think where he played on Saturday suites him to a tee.

Absolutely. Since coming to Liverpool, I can't remember seeing him play centrally, even though that is where he frequently featured and impressed for Southampton. His lack of goalscoring out wide in the past has been frustrating, but I can see him making a real impact this season playing where he did against Barcelona.

[robertobaggio37]

The obsession with stats means Lallana is underated. Been excellent since Klopp came in.

Agreed. I have doubted him but I really liked him as a part of the midfield. He can really change pace of the game with his silky moves and awareness. While he doesn't score that much he's almost everytime involved in the goal whether it's directly or indirectly. Good player, underrated.

[psycllone]

Agreed. I have doubted him but I really liked him as a part of the midfield. He can really change pace of the game with his silky moves and awareness. While he doesn't score that much he's almost everytime involved in the goal whether it's directly or indirectly. Good player, underrated.

I second that. I don't know if there's any other player in the premier league who can use both his feet as well as Lallana does or can match his cruyff turns.

[Lasardine]

Will his pressing be needed vs Burnley and Hull? That`s my thing with him, against Arsenal and Spurs I think he`ll be one of the first names on the team-sheet but now that we have a lot of good options vs the likes of Burnely and Hull we can go with one-man midfield in Can and just go with 5 players in Gini, Phil, Mane, Firmino and Sturridge having a mighty go at them.

We've looked worse in games like Hull, remember under Rodgers? Games when our pressing and defensive cohesion wasn't the same and we conceded cheap goals. That kind of five attacker mindset was employed by Rodgers and failed quite often, like Aston Villa 2-2 etc.

[SerbianScouser]

We've looked worse in games like Hull, remember under Rodgers? Games when our pressing and defensive cohesion wasn't the same and we conceded cheap goals. That kind of five attacker mindset was employed by Rodgers and failed quite often, like Aston Villa 2-2 etc.

These teams like Burnley and Hull won`t allow you to press them, they`ll kick it long every time you try to close them down. That`s why Lallana is invaluable in these games like Arsenal because these kind of teams will try to play football against us and pass through us; against the lesser teams you`re going to dominate the ball regardless of whether you go with 2 or 3 CMs, so for me the most sensible solution would be to go with Can as a one-man midfield (like against Villareal) and get 5 guys ahead of him who are better than Lallana at making runs into the box and finishing.

[spider-neil]

The obsession with stats means Lallana is underated. Been excellent since Klopp came in.

If you playing in attacking position then you have to deliver numbers.
The position he played against Barca (central midfield 3) you can get away with a relatively low return.

[Redman78]

If you playing in attacking position then you have to deliver numbers.
The position he played against Barca (central midfield 3) you can get away with a relatively low return.

Think he deserves a spot in midfield, been really impressed with his pressing and ability to start attacks from deep.

[smurfinaus]

A goal!!!

[SlowRap]

Making his critics eat humble pie game after game

[DanA]

Poor first half, brilliant goal though and ended up having a pretty good all round game.