Scoring six goals in all competitions in his first season, Lallana was one of the few players to come out with any real kind of credit in Brendan Rodger’s final full campaign on Merseyside in 2014/15. The club lost two domestic semi-finals, crashed out early in both the Champions League and later the Europa League and finished eight points off the top four.Jurgen Klopp took over from Rodgers the following October and Lallana’s importance to the team grew even more, scoring seven goals and registering six assists as the Reds came agonisingly close to winning silverware on two occasions.He scored three times during the run to the 2016 Europa League Final, including the third goal in the semi-final win over Villarreal at Anfield, although Liverpool missed out on the trophy, losing 3-1 to Sevilla in Basel. The former Bournemouth youngster also appeared off the bench in the 2016 League Cup Final v Manchester City at Wembley, but unfortunately missed his penalty as the Etihad side triumphed in the penalty shootout.Another memorable moment came in a crazy afternoon at Carrow Road where he got the winner in a 5-4 thriller against Norwich, to the delight of his teammates and coaching staff who piled on top of him during the celebrations.Predominantly used in a wide or advanced attacking midfield role under Rodgers, Klopp converted Lallana into a complete box to box midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation, where he was able to combine his intelligence and excellent close control of the ball with his high work rate and desire to press the opposition out of possession.His finest season in a Reds shirt came in 2016/17 where Liverpool secured a 4th place finish on the final day to secure Champions League qualification. He bettered his goal tally once again with 8 goals, including a well taken finish on the opening day win against Arsenal at the Emirates, a thumping drive against the then champions of England, Leicester City in a 2-1 victory, and the third goal in the 3-0 triumph against Middlesbrough on a nerve wracking final day at Anfield.
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Despite the arrival of Gini Wijnaldum from Newcastle, and the existing competition for places in midfield from club captain Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Emre Can, Lallana was one of the first names on the team sheet during the season. His sheer tenacity and energy set the precedent for Klopp’s Reds, who were able to dispatch the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and neighbours Everton on their trips to Anfield with ease.Playing behind a front three of Phillippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, the former Saints skipper was given a degree of freedom in his role, which showed the huge levels of trust shown in him by Klopp. The German has developed a reputation for embracing his players after a win, and he was regularly seen hugging and celebrating with the midfielder, further emphasising his importance to the squad on and off the pitch.
Unfortunately for the 32-year old, recurring injuries and further competition from the likes of Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have meant that Adam Lallana’s role in the Liverpool side has diminished quite dramatically. He was restricted to just 31 appearances combined in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, although he did come on as a substitute in the 2018 Champions League Final defeat against Real Madrid, replacing the injured Mohamed Salah early on.By then the Reds were starting to turn from top four contenders into genuine title challengers, and a year later they put the disappointment of Kiev from the year before behind them to capture the European Cup for the sixth time with victory against Tottenham, for which Lallana picked up a medal, despite only featuring twice.A similar pattern has followed this season, although the man who has won 34 caps for England has showed in cameos that he still may have something to offer for another Premier League club once the current campaign finally reaches its conclusion. He popped up off the bench to grab a late equaliser against bitter rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford, which helped extend the club’s unbeaten run in the Premier League at that time to 26 games. The goal was also Lallana’s first for the Reds since May 2017.He again came off the bench as Liverpool won their first ever Club World Cup with a 1-0 victory against Flamengo last December. Playing alongside youngsters Curtis Jones and Pedro Chirivella in midfield, he then put in a mature, composed performance in the Merseyside derby win over Everton in the FA Cup a month later.As he approaches the end of his six-year spell with the club, Kopites should not forget just how good, and how important Adam Lallana was early in Klopp’s tenure as Liverpool manager. He was almost a prototype of the kind of player required for the German’s team, which over time found its identity and transformed into arguably the finest outfit in Europe.That is exactly why Adam Lallana deserves to walk away from the club not only with his head held high, but with a Premier League winner’s medal around his neck for good measure.By Anthony Evans @anthonyevans97
