Avert your gaze, and you just may miss the pirouetting play-maker punishing opposition defences, week in and week out, for Liverpool. Short touches, the optional Cruyff turn, and a knack for seeking out the ball, were things that, up until recently, could have been described as problematic for the former Bournemouth and Southampton player.
Under Brendan Rodgers, the man who first sounded the siren song southward toward his ears, to take him from the ocean coast to the coast of the River Mersey, he struggled with limited playing time and recurring injury woes. A lack of appearances under his belt, and all of the Red half of the city of Liverpool beginning to think his price-tag may have been much too high to pay, for much-ado-about-nothing, the English international found himself in a fortuitous position when Jurgen Klopp assumed the managerial role at the club.
A more in-depth discussion on the nature of “gegenpressing” can be found here, but the most important piece of the equation involves a high press, combined with efficient passing on the counter attack.
Suddenly, Adam Lallana’s penchant for pursuing the little round orb which makes the beautiful game go round was vital to the match-day strategy.
Immediately following Klopp’s appointment, he would be included in the next six Premier League matches, make appearances in the following three Europa League matches, and contribute to Liverpool’s success in domestic competitions.
For a player who many thought to have been overrated, after his purchase in the summer of 2014, Lallana has turned favour in the last month, leading to a revival in the starting XI for a tenacious midfielder, eager to make a difference.
In Liverpool’s game on Sunday against Swansea City at Anfield, there were only a handful of times that he would be missing from the defensive press, and, remarkably, in the 93rd minute, he was still chasing down Lukasz Fabianski as if possessed by the ghost of Luis Suarez.
Say what you will about his offensive numbers, but for a player in a system managed by Jurgen Klopp, there really are few better fits in midfield than Adam Lallana.
