Could Adam Lallana’s month-long absence prove detrimental to Liverpool’s top-four prospects?

Add as preferred source on Google

Despite making it through the full 90 minutes of England’s 2-0 World Cup qualifying triumph over Lithuania, Liverpool fans were subject to news that they certainly didn’t want to hear in that Adam Lallana picked up a thigh injury in the first half, and having carried the injury for the remainder of the match, and assisted Jamie Vardy’s goal, is now set for a spell on the sidelines.

Scans on the injury upon his return to Merseyside revealed the full extent of the injury, which threatens to keep him out of action for a month, which may rule him out of five of Liverpool’s last nine games of the season, including a key Merseyside Derby against Everton.

If the former Southampton player is to be out of action for all five games, he may also sit out Liverpool’s home clashes with Bournemouth and Crystal Palace, alongside their two trips to the Midlands to take on Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion.

It is sure to be a frustrating blow for Jurgen Klopp and his side, who have had to endure such an issue on international duty twice now, after Lallana limped off after 27 minutes of England’s 2-2 friendly draw with Spain at Wembley, but Liverpool are forced to contend with some potentially tricky fixtures without one of their key men. With just a four-point cushion inside the top-four, with closest rivals Manchester United behind them with two games in hand, could the absence of Lallana and his creative influence potentially prove detrimental to Liverpool’s prospects of qualifying for the Champions League during this period?

28-year-old Lallana has featured in all but two of Liverpool’s 29 Premier League fixtures so far this season and has contributed seven goals and seven assists in that time, in a run of fixtures which includes 15 Liverpool victories, seven draws, and a mere five defeats.

His goals return is an area which has room for improvement, given he has netted below double figures and has recorded an average shooting accuracy of 33% from a total of 43 shots in the league this season, with just 14 of those on target, but having racked up seven assists for the side and played a total of 1,216 passes in the Premier League this season, it begins to paint a picture of just how important he is in terms of linking up play and providing a key creative outlet for the Reds.

Of the goals he has scored, Lallana has netted against a reasonable range of opposition, including top-four rivals Arsenal, defending champions Leicester, struggling Hull and Middlesbrough, as well as top ten contenders West Ham, and Stoke. He rarely spurns chances when they do come his way, having only squandered one guilt-edged chance all season, and having struck the woodwork on one occasion, but the statistics behind his creativity prove that this aspect of his game is just as vital to Liverpool, with the former Saint having crafted four key chances, excluding his assists, and having put a total of 39 crosses into the danger area throughout the season. He has also played a total of 24 accurate long balls up to the forwards, and three dangerous through balls, all whilst maintaining an average of 45.04 passes played per match.

These statistics become all the more important when Jurgen Klopp’s preferred tactics at Liverpool are taken into consideration. In the German’s preferred 4-3-3 formation, Lallana has found himself featuring out wide in the midfield three, and occasionally on the left of the attacking trio, which is often subject to change, with Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mané, Divock Origi, and Daniel Sturridge all having been in and out of the side at times during the season with injury, loss of form, or international commitments. Lallana, as shown by the number of games in which he has featured, is the only constant, arguably apart from Sadio Mané, who has only missed club action thanks to Africa Cup of Nations duty for Senegal back in January, but his extended absence given Senegal’s run to the knockouts initiated a period in which Liverpool began to drop points late in matches.

With Klopp often choosing not to use a recognised striker, deploying three attacking midfielders or wide players in the front three, Lallana’s passing and link-up play becomes all the more important, given that Liverpool often lack a potent aerial presence and seek to play the ball into feet. Most of Lallana’s goals and assists contributions have come when he has been tasked with playing in the front three, although he can prove equally as effective as a lynchpin behind the creativity of Coutinho or Firmino, with Mané operating on the opposite flank, and Lallana given licence to roam behind them by Georginio Wijnaldum’s presence as a midfield anchor.

Lallana’s long-ball statistics are more likely to have come from fixtures against more physical opposition, in which Klopp will have elected to use a forward like Origi or Sturridge to provide some aerial presence, and a strong focal point to hold up the ball, for the wide-men to play off. Of course, Lallana, himself, has featured in the forward three in such games, and given his strong assist ratio is shown to link well with the lone centre-forward, or the false-nine player filling out the role in other matches.

Given that the midfield man is often deployed out wide, a contribution to the cause which often goes unnoticed, given his reputation as an attacking player, is his defensive work for the team and his ability to break-up play and recover possession. Defensively, in the 27 games Lallana has played in, he has recovered possession a remarkable 138 times, whilst also making a total of 49 tackles, with a 67% success rate.

Lallana has also made 19 interceptions, which show his alertness in midfield, and he isn’t a player to shy away from battles in the centre of the park either, winning 121 of 276 duels he has been involved in, whilst winning 25 fifty-fifty challenges, and 20 aerial battles out of 56. Albeit in terms of midfield battles he has lost more than he has won, this can be expected from a player who is more renowned for contributions going forward, and often the times he does recover possession prove critical for the Reds and help them not only to defend, but to break forward with pace and conviction. The main defensive presence in front of the back four is Georginio Wijnaldum in centre-midfield, but with the Dutchman often serving as a midfield engine as well as a defensive presence, when he drives forward to help the attack, Lallana will often serve as cover if he starts as part of the midfield three, rather than in the advanced attacking trio.

Despite losing the ball on occasions having been bested in the challenge, Lallana has never lost out in a duel which has directly led to an opposition goal, nor has he gifted a goal to the opponent through a wayward pass. His disciplinary record also remains enviable, despite the many tackles he contributes, having committed only 17 fouls all season, resulting in a mere three yellow cards. Still two away from suspension, it is unlikely he will be forced out of any more of Liverpool’s remaining fixtures for any reason other than injury. His consistent availability for Liverpool up to this point also means that Klopp’s men will have to deal with the disjointedness of having a player who has been a mainstay in the team this term out of the side for what may be an extended period of time.

Aside from his defensive work in the centre of the park, Lallana’s statistics also reveal him to be a player who tracks back and helps out in his own penalty area when necessary. He has blocked a total of 21 shots in and around his own box this season, with 19 clearances and nine headed clearances from inside the danger zone.

Having analysed the statistics, one of the biggest losses for Liverpool during Lallana’s spell on the sidelines will be the midfielder’s versatility. His contributions in attack and defence in a game may vary depending on the player’s role, but the capacity he has to fill in for the attacking three and prove just as ruthlessly efficient as Liverpool’s other attacking players, will render him a big miss for the creativity and goals he brings to the table, whilst the side may lack that extra body to defend and recover possession with Lallana now unable to feature as part of the midfield three.

That extra defensive responsibility is now likely to fall to Jordan Henderson, Emre Can, or Lucas Leiva in the midfield, or it could result in less interchange between the front three, with Coutinho coming in more regularly on the left with Firmino maintaining the central role, or Firmino filling in on the left flank, with Divock Origi featuring as the spearhead.

It is the second time this season, following the temporary absence of Mané, that Liverpool will be forced to deal with the loss of a constant presence in the side, and on that first occasion, the Reds struggled creatively. More responsibility to provide will now fall upon the shoulders of the club’s other attacking players, though they should on paper have the strength in depth to deal with it. If they are to suffer a similar setback with the absence of Lallana, however, particularly with the run of fixtures they now have, it may well prove troublesome to Liverpool’s top-four quest, certainly so with Manchester United now breathing down their necks.

Maintaining momentum at this stage in the season is critical. It has been a fairly average season from Philippe Coutinho’s point of view, whilst Lallana and Firmino appear to have come into their own this campaign, with Divock Origi chipping in vital goals when he has been called upon also. What will be key for Klopp is keeping the attacking trio firing, and to do that, an attacking threat must be maintained down that left flank, to avoid applying too much pressure on Sadio Mané providing from the right.

Much speculation has emerged linking Coutinho with a move to Barcelona at the end of the season, as reported by the Express, and if this does ring true, the Brazilian will surely be desperate to prove his worth. Whether he moves on or not, come the end of the season, with Lallana out, Liverpool will need such players to stand up and be counted if they are to cling onto their Champions League berth. Other members of the squad have done their part so far, and must continue to do so, because with few matches remaining, it is coming to the crunch, and the Reds can ill-afford any more slip-ups like the defeats to Bournemouth and Swansea earlier in the campaign.

In short, could Lallana’s spell on the treatment table threaten Liverpool’s hopes? It may well do, but it is now down to the squad and the key individuals within it to prove its strength in depth, and that they are prepared to deal with his absence, and whether or not they have learned from the experience of missing Sadio Mané earlier in the season, may well prove vital.

Featured Image: All Rights Reserved by alunosfac jornalismo.

Statistics courtesy of www.premierleague.com.