Both Ian Wright and Andy Townsend have noticed how impressive Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana was during Saturday’s match against Huddersfield.
After a long spell on the sidelines, Lallana’s injury luck was hit again after he came on as a substitute against Crystal Palace in late August. However, after numerous rumours, Jurgen Klopp handed Lallana his first Premier League start in over nine months.
Lallana looked match fit, as he was capable of keeping up with the speed of the game throughout. Klopp played Lallana on the inside left position, where he likes to come inside and contribute to the midfield play.
Off the ball, Lallana would hold his position on the left, however, when Liverpool had the ball in attacking areas, he would drift inside and contribute to a midfield diamond alongside Henderson, Milner and Shaqiri.
Lallana was substituted on the 69th minute at the John Smith’s stadium and no Liverpool player passed better than him in the final third, with 90 per cent accuracy. He also won 15 duels, showing he is capable of competing on a physical aspect.
Sky Sports pundit Ian Wright believes the performance will have given the midfielder a boost both physically and mentally, after a frustrating period on the sideline, as reported by the official Premier League website.
I think he’ll be absolutely delighted. For him to try and get back into this Liverpool side, who are flying and challenging Manchester City, will be tough.
Furthermore, Andy Townsend says Lallana faces a tougher challenge to get back into the team, after the recruitment made in his position in the summer. Klopp has added Xherden Shaqiri, Naby Keita and Fabinho to what was already a talented midfield.
He’ll have seen a lot of players coming in and I’m sure he’d of had his moments where he’s thinking about not playing much, but he’s kept plugging away. He’s very talented, very clever, and a very different type of midfielder to what Liverpool have got, he’ll always get a game.
It’s no secret amongst Liverpool fans that Klopp is a huge admirer of Lallana, that is why he has given him plenty of time and support during this difficult period.
Klopp is a manager who is keen to have a big squad so that he can rotate his first XI and constantly have fresh legs available.
