How is Adam Lallana becoming ever more important to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side?

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I’m fairly confident that every single Liverpool supporter has; at some time or other, criticised Adam Lallana and cursed their luck at having the Englishman as one of the primary midfielders at the club. Looking back, it never really seemed as if his Liverpool career would take off. With that in mind, it is difficult to understand how he is operating with such confidence and verve.

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In the last two months he has been; alongside Roberto Firmino, one of the brightest shining stars at the club. He bewitched both Manchester clubs with his magic. Lallana; who missed a penalty in Liverpool’s heart-breaking Capital One Cup final, followed it up by stroking a shot in from 20 yards a few days later at Anfield.

When Jürgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool, there were a few players who were nailed on to succeed under him purely because of work rate. Lallana falls neatly under this bracket with his energy and enthusiasm for the game being insatiable. Even when the former Southampton captain is having an off day, he will still run himself into the ground to help the team succeed. This irrepressible desire to work for the team is why he has been given so many chances to play under Klopp. This is something Christian Benteke has a woefully poor understanding of.

His best performances have come when he has been in a front three with Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino. The trio as an attacking midfield triumvirate are spectacular when together as they are fluidly interchangeable. Ever since Lallana signed for Liverpool, it has been undeniable that he is a classy player. He thrives with neat interplay as his close control is brilliant.

The issue with the 27-year-old is that he hasn’t been able to regularly deliver the form which has prompted some to say that he has been the most suited to Klopp’s style. This is an astute claim, as he thrives in a high pressing system which was in operation at Southampton during his spell there. His recent form wherein he has racked up three goals and three assists in seven matches needs to become a regular occurrence in order for Lallana to be considered on the same level as Coutinho, and to warrant his place in the squad.

The brilliant thing about Jürgen Klopp is that he doesn’t shy away from difficult questions and is brutally honest with the media. He has been frank with the media since the off regarding his plans about transfers. The charismatic German has been assertive in that if a player wants to stay at Liverpool he needs to work in order to achieve that goal.

Adam Lallana is nothing if not a diligent worker on the training pitch and in a game. This attitude is essential to life under Jürgen Klopp. Christian Benteke is set to learn this lesson the hard way. In some ways, I feel for the Belgian in that he isn’t suited to playing in the system that Klopp loves. There is also speculation that Daniel Sturridge could be binned due to his recent lack of hard running up front. Personally, I haven’t seen Sturridge in a proper sprint since the 2013/2014 season.

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With media speculation over a possible reunion between Jürgen Klopp and Mario Götze at its peak, there could be concern for Lallana’s playing time. This would all depend on how Klopp wants to line-up next season. With the way Roberto Firmino has been playing this season, I could see the Brazilian lining up front for Liverpool come the beginning of the next campaign. This would mean that Lallana would be able to start in an attacking midfield triumvirate featuring Götze, Coutinho.

Liverpool fans would be delighted if Lallana can continue in his brilliant form into the tail end of the season and into 2016/2017. He adds that insatiable desire which is so crucial for a player to succeed. If he was blessed with more natural ability like Dimitri Payet or Philippe Coutinho, he would be other worldly. The combination of diligence and raw talent is a recipe for glory and is there anyone better to foster it than Jürgen Klopp? Only time will tell how successful Lallana will be at Liverpool and whether he will be granted another season.

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