Lallana

[superchimp]

Doesn't influence the game, doesn't back himself, doesn't do a job defensively.

As talented as he is, doesn't quite have the balls to step up.

Hopefully Firmino takes his place vs Arsenal.

 

[Fabio]

He really seems to have zero heart

Shrugged off the ball so easily a lot of the time

 

[Halmeister]

Is he that talented though?

I never wanted us to sign him, and especially not at the price we did.

At 26 (he's 27 now) he had played the vast majority of his career in the lower leagues. That just doesn't happen in this day and age any more.

He's an average Premiership attacking midfielder. Above average technically, and average to below average just about everywhere else.

 

[mr_moo]

Average player. Poor signing. I bet you, had he still been at soton he'd have had a ordinary season also and would be struggling to soe their starting XI this season

 

[superchimp]

He really seems to have zero heart

Shrugged off the ball so easily a lot of the time

He really is a confidence player.

At southampton he was kinda their main man and week in week out he was producing. Over here he just seems to show occasional glimpses and then just lingers into isolation.

 

[Hansern]

He's certainly not got average technical ability. But that doesnt help when you hold on to the ball to long and get shrugged of the ball to easily.

I thought he got better during the 2nd half. But I expect more. Much more.
What does he do that Markovic cant do? Signing both of them was so odd.

 

[Halmeister]

He's certainly not got average technical ability. But that doesnt help when you hold on to the ball to long and get shrugged of the ball to easily.

I thought he got better during the 2nd half. But I expect more. Much more.
What does he do that Markovic cant do? Signing both of them was so odd.

Hence me saying he's above average technically.

 

[Ryan]

People must have watched a different game to the one I did.

 

[Halmeister]

I don't think he played well, so maybe I did... but I'm not basing this on the back of the one game we've just seen.

 

[Tinto]

He really seems to have zero heart

Shrugged off the ball so easily a lot of the time

Reminds me of Heskey in that way.

Difference is that when Heskey is full of confidence, he could be unplayable. And Heskey has had great games in a Liverpool shirt.

 

[refugee]

Pathetic in the first half. OK in the second.

 

[Gary25]

I like him, but he needs to do a lot more to say the least. Not influencing things anywhere near enough.

 

[mark1975]

People must have watched a different game to the one I did.

He played well tonight and continuously turned on a sixpence, freeing himself and gaining a yard while setting us off on the break. Him and Milner did alot of the donkey work, the balance may have been wrong again, but they were both covering for us defensively while closing everything higher up the pitch. I get that people want a more direct return in terms of goals, but he played a big part for the team tonight.

 

[Woland]

He's shite

 

[KopRed]

He's shite

By chance do you get paid for each posting? Where can I register?

 

[darkstarexodus]

He was a bit anonymous in the first half but started to become more influential in the second. I still don't see much of him really taking the game by the scruff and in that regard reminds me of Allen - great player to improve the efficiency when players around him are on song but not the type to turn the game around himself.

 

[Dreambeliever]

I actually thought he was good tonight but overall not producing the level of creativity we need.

 

[Frogfish]

He played well tonight and continuously turned on a sixpence, freeing himself and gaining a yard while setting us off on the break. Him and Milner did alot of the donkey work, the balance may have been wrong again, but they were both covering for us defensively while closing everything higher up the pitch. I get that people want a more direct return in terms of goals, but he played a big part for the team tonight.

This is what I saw too.

He was played centrally with Coutinho pushed right but we spent so much of the game sitting deep that he was unable to be an attacking force, however defensively he did some excellent work with his energy, tackling and bringing the ball out of defence. The disconnect between midfield and attack was again an issue that affected all of our attacking players, and that got worse not better when Henderson went off.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

He played well tonight and continuously turned on a sixpence, freeing himself and gaining a yard while setting us off on the break. Him and Milner did alot of the donkey work, the balance may have been wrong again, but they were both covering for us defensively while closing everything higher up the pitch. I get that people want a more direct return in terms of goals, but he played a big part for the team tonight.

He had some absolutely lovely touches ... I think our main problem is Rodgers doesn't know (yet hopefully) how to accommodate the talent we have into a formation that gets the most out of our creative talents, bar Coutinho.

 

[gkmacca]

Lallana was busy laughing and hugging the opposition while they were waiting to walk out on to the pitch. He needs to focus and also get tough - I doubt it's a coincidence he gets hit and elbowed so often on the head, they know it only takes one knock to subdue him.

But he's a lovely player who needs to prove he's not a luxury player. The coaching staff need to really work on him to get the best out of him, because at his best he offers just the kind of wit and imagination that has been so sorely missing when opposing teams park the bus.

 

[JohnnyRocket]

I've said this before on this forum somewhere, but I'll say it again. It's been plain to see by everyone for the last year that he needs to muscle up and work on strength. So why doesn't he? I know from my own experience a few years ago where I worked out like a machine over a 3 month period, while upping the protein intake - and even with an 8 - 5 job I transformed my body.

Why is it then so hard for a professional footballer to do it with all the time and facilities in the world at their disposal - and training experts working with them?

I don't get it.

 

[gkmacca]

A few have got the drive to keep improving. Most though just seem to think, they've got to the place where they're earning millions for how they already are, so why bother adding anything? So players with no shooting power or accuracy with their left feet show no improvement, players with no great muscular power never get any, etc etc. And maybe some who currently rely on, say, lithe slickness and trickery fear that getting more muscular will mess with their balance and speed. But you'd certainly expect the fitness experts to work with them and explain to them what programme would suit and enhance their game.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

It could all be just mental as well - look at Coutinho and Sterling - they're matchsticks but yet can take a fair bit of beating on the run.

 

[gkmacca]

It could all be just mental as well - look at Coutinho and Sterling - they're matchsticks but yet can take a fair bit of beating on the run.

Well Coutinho DID do some intense gym work a year or so ago, so he's stronger even though as you say he still looks pretty much the same. Sterling was always freakishly tough.

 

[Frogfish]

A few have got the drive to keep improving. Most though just seem to think, they've got to the place where they're earning millions for how they already are, so why bother adding anything? So players with no shooting power or accuracy with their left feet show no improvement, players with no great muscular power never get any, etc etc. And maybe some who currently rely on, say, lithe slickness and trickery fear that getting more muscular will mess with their balance and speed. But you'd certainly expect the fitness experts to work with them and explain to them what programme would suit and enhance their game.

Sorry Macca but that just doesn't fly ..... because it's not up to the player. If the club were to tell him "we want to see you add muscle and this is your program" then he really has no option. It's the club at fault not the player (and that's more or less the same with every player unless they either don't cooperate - maybe Balo for example - or just don't have the innate talent).

 

[gkmacca]

Sorry Macca but that just doesn't fly ..... because it's not up to the player. If the club were to tell him "we want to see you add muscle and this is your program" then he really has no option. It's the club at fault not the player (and that's more or less the same with every player unless they either don't cooperate - maybe Balo for example - or just don't have the innate talent).

Not really. Firstly, the club hasn't been good enough at that. That's why we've just appointed someone for one-to-one sessions. Secondly, why do you think managers praise the likes of Suarez for staying behind after training and working on their own game? Because some are driven and know their strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. They don't wait passively for a programme to be imposed on them. And these programmes on their own just don't work well enough (have you been following Sterling's 'shoot better' programme over the past two years?).

 

[gene hughes]

Those fucking keys. They're there somewhere.

 

[RedStar]

Its fair to say hes been pretty underwhelming so far. Rodgers is giving him a chance to shine and hes not taking it, he plays in one of the few positions with genuine competition for places so he needs to put in a performance or hes going to be benched. Weve got Ibe Firmino Coutinho and Markovic who can all play on his position so hes on thin ice.

 

[Frogfish]

Not really. Firstly, the club hasn't been good enough at that. That's why we've just appointed someone for one-to-one sessions. Secondly, why do you think managers praise the likes of Suarez for staying behind after training and working on their own game? Because some are driven and know their strengths and weaknesses better than anyone. They don't wait passively for a programme to be imposed on them. And these programmes on their own just don't work well enough (have you been following Sterling's 'shoot better' programme over the past two years?).

Well yes but as you have pointed out a) the club haven't been good enough at that (exactly my point) and b) staying after training to work on your game skills isn't relevant to a muscle program that should be done during training (or him being made to stay afterwards and put in the extra).
Putting on muscle is something that can be done easily by absolutely anyone under the right program, improving a skill such as shooting doesn't always come off if the ability simply isn't there.

 

[gkmacca]

It's too simplistic Froggy. If it was a simple as that all squads would improve dramatically because of these bespoke programmes. They don't. Because it's more complex than that.