What Adam Lallana Offers Brighton

As Liverpool played out a 5-3 ding-dong against Chelsea, stuffed with great goals, sublime pieces of skill and touchline spats, the broadcasters seemed incredibly reluctant to cut away from the onlooking face of Adam Lallana.


The 32-year-old had made three league starts all season but those behind the screens clearly expected him to get a run out in his final Liverpool match at Anfield. Yet, as Chelsea began to flex their muscles in attack - after emphatically highlighting their weaknesses in defence - Jürgen Klopp deemed this no time for sentimentality.


The affable German may have looked past Lallana that night but Klopp is a huge admirer of the silky midfielder. As it became clear that Lallana's time on Merseyside would end this summer - with a move to Brighton all but confirmed - Klopp was effusive in his praise.


Liverpool's manager gushed to the Guardian: "He is one of the most important players of the time since I am here so I wish him only the best for the future. From my point of view he is already a legend here, so he can become a legend somewhere else from next season.”


Klopp went on to add that, despite his limited game-time this season, Lallana remains in peak physical condition, stressing that 'he is so fit' and 'trains 100%'.


However, this has hardly been the norm in recent years for Lallana. After being a near ever-present for Southampton and then a regular in his first three seasons at Liverpool, injuries to his hamstring and groin - compounded by new, ever more impressive arrivals - have limited Lallana to nine Premier League starts across the past three campaigns combined.


Lallana has missed 39 games with injury over the past three seasons at Liverpool

Having turned 32 in May, the prospect of more fitness layoffs will only increase with age. However, with this seniority comes experience, a quality that Brighton manager Graham Potter values with some caveats.


Potter recently told The Argus: “It depends what type of experience it is and what they bring and what the mentality is. For me, it is more about the individual, the personality, what they believe they can do, how coachable and how much they want to be part of what we are trying to achieve here."


Based on the glittering reference Klopp dished out, Lallana is certainly the type of character Brighton could benefit from, as the Liverpool boss cooed in July: "He is one of the most influential players on the training quality I have ever had in my life. He is an incredible professional."


Lallana may very well possess that vague quality of 'experience' but Brighton are rather more in need of a tangible fundamental to football: goals.


Neal Maupay is Brighton's top scorer in the league with ten goals, the next best is Leandro Trossard with five

Going into the final round of fixtures, only Crystal Palace and rock-bottom Norwich City had netted fewer than Brighton in the Premier League, although this was not for a lack of trying. This season, Brighton have taken a decent number of shots - ranking around mid-table.


However, the squad's attackers tend to squander these chances. Only three sides in the division have underperformed their expected goals (xG) to a greater extent than Brighton this term. To compound matters, based on the average xG value of each effort they take, the Seagulls' players have been pulling the trigger from very unfavourable locations.


Across his Premier League career, Lallana has a scoring record of roughly one goal every five games from midfield - this would better all but two of Brighton's players this season. The Englishman will also help improve the quality of the opportunities Brighton's strikers are presented with, given his similar return of assists.


In his Premier League career Lallana has averaged 0.4 goals and assists per 90 minutes played

However, his influence on the attack will depend where Potter deploys him. Over the years, Lallana has developed into more of an all-round midfielder, capable of playing behind the strikers or in a deeper role. This flexibility will be invaluable for Potter - a coach who runs through the whole gamut of tactical set-ups.


Over the past three years, Lallana - for those on the outside at least - has become something of a forgotten man at Liverpool. He may be entering the twilight of his career but Lallana can offer something of a goal threat and creativity to a Brighton side with a blunt attack.


And if all else fails, he does have an unnatural love for the Cruyff turn.



Source : 90min