What is Adam Lallana?

[LeTallecWiz]

Footy365.com provides some pretty sad analysis:

[article]While some would expect a £25million signing to have some discernible strengths, Lallana’s remains a mystery. In his last 30 Premier League games, he has scored just one goal and provided four assists. Luis Suarez has scored more goals – eight to Lallana’s five – for the club since March 2014, and the Uruguayan’s last game for the club came in May of that year. So he is no goalscorer. He makes the same amount of tackles per game as Jeremain Lens, and even his dribbling, the one characteristic with which you could truly credit the 27-year-old, is achieved at a rate which is no better than Angelo Ogbonna or Gareth Barry. He has also been substituted in half of his 14 starts; he ranks first in the ‘run around and look knackered’ per-game stakes.

In the words of Storey: ‘The bedrock of Lallana’s Liverpool career has been his ability to run down a touchline, do a Cruyff turn to stop the ball and then lay it back either to a right-back or central midfielder.’
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[FoxForceFive]

[ANSWER]Frustrating.[/ANSWER]

 

[Buddha]

In the words of Storey: ‘The bedrock of Lallana’s Liverpool career has been his ability to run down a touchline, do a Cruyff turn to stop the ball and then lay it back either to a right-back or central midfielder.’

He forgot the needless flicks on the edge of the box when a quick touch and release would have potentially come to something. Or the need to try and take his man on 3 times having had about 4 chances to release or cross the ball.

He's so fucking frustrating.

 

[doctor_mac]

I'm starting to think he's deliberately hiding from final balls and neglecting to get open in the box to score. No-one can spend that much time around the penalty area without scoring, or even getting more chances. I've watched him sometimes hang behind a defender when there is an obvious run in front of the defender, where he will have some chance of getting on the end of something. This is probably controversial, and people will think it is a scandalous accusation, but I've seen it in him on quite a few occasions. I get the feeling he's afraid of fucking up chances, so he doesn't quite do enough to get on the end of one. This may be horribly unfair.

 

[Modo]

Lee Dixon asked the same question during the game on Sunday.

 

[Aidan O' Neill]

I reckon it's definitely unfair, but he's one the most frustrating players I've seen play for us. He has a lovely touch and works very hard, but he doesn't really do anything. Has he even had an assist yes this season? I really hope he's not starting regularly for us next season.

 

[Dreambeliever]

While a lovely footballer with obvious talent he's suffering from not having finishers around him. A fit studge would make him look wonderful.

He's been a big flop being brutally honest. At least Coutinho pulls out the odd superb goal when he's not playing exceptionally well.

Work rate is Lallana's best asset at the moment and that says it all.

 

[keniget]

He's frustrating because he does have good qualities but he hasn't been able to translate those into delivering enough end product.

We can't put up with the lack of firepower we've seen over the last season and a half and sadly, Lallana would be #1 candidate for replacement as far as first choice (ish) attackers go.

 

[Rosco]

A championship player in the Premier League.

 

[doctor_mac]

You can't be part of an attacking unit and fail to score any goals. Well you can, as that's what he does, but you don't want a player in your front four who offers practically no goal threat. I like that he works hard, pressing, and taking 15 touches when 1 will do, but as I say, he doesn't work that hard to get into scoring positions.

 

[manwithnoname]

He's a decent, hardworking premiership player with no pace, who doesn't create or score enough goals. Or indeed any. I'm not sure why everyone's so surprised about this, because that's all he's ever been. The fact that Rodgers thought he was worth spending £25m on isn't really his fault, absurd though that fee was and is. Nobody else would have paid more than £12-15m at best, and he isn't good enough to start regularly for a team with our purported aspirations.

 

[Mystic]

Adam Lallana is a very good player with no end product, we undoubtedly play much better when he's in the side, but in the position he plays we need end product, and lots of it, his lack of is completely inexcusable.

 

[keniget]

but as I say, he doesn't work that hard to get into scoring positions.

I don't know if he doesn't work hard enough in that respect but I think he and the team on the whole lack ambition and a killer instinct.

We have no players that know what it's like to be part of a winning team, most of them come from teams that are used to losing.

 

[cloggypop]

Playing in the front three with no goals is about as useful as having a beard in a Nivea advert.

 

[King Binny]

The season before we signed him:

Shots per 90 min: 2.03

14/15:
Passing Accuracy: 82.5%
Passing Accuracy opp. Half: 79.1%
Tackles Won: 88.9%
Shooting Accuracy: 46.4%
Goals: 5
Assists: 3
Shots per 90 min: 1.4

15/16:
Passing Accuracy: 79.8%
Passing Accuracy opp. Half: 76.5%
Tackles Won: 69.7%
Shooting Accuracy: 37.5%
Goals: 0
Assists: 3
Shots per 90 min: 1.14

 

[doctor_mac]

I reckon it's definitely unfair, .

If I could be arsed and was truly passionate about making this argument I'd trawl through a load of videos and point out moments when he neglected to make a run, or hid behind a gaggle of players when a cross was coming in, or pussy-footed about rather making a run behind the defence– but I'm not that guy.

 

[hmmmmm1]

He needs more goals or dropping

 

[manwithnoname]

If I could be arsed and was truly passionate about making this argument I'd trawl through a load of videos and point out moments when he neglected to make a run, or hid behind a gaggle of players when a cross was coming in, or pussy-footed about rather making a run behind the defence– but I'm not that guy.

Who is that guy? Or do we actually have any genuine Lallana fans on here who can offer a defence? There must have been some people who thought he'd be a great signing. Even at £25. Million. Pounds.

He's two-footed! That must count for something.

 

[doctor_mac]

Who is that guy? Or do we actually have any genuine Lallana fans on here who can offer a defence? There must have been some people who thought he'd be a great signing. Even at £25. Million. Pounds.

He's two-footed! That must count for something.

Luis Garcia. There was a two-footed player who played in approximately the same part of the pitch as Lallana. Except he used both of those feet to score 30-odd goals in three seasons for Liverpool. Lazy and wasteful wee bastard at times: but he did make his presence count for something. I hate to say it, Lallana's two-footedness counts for the square root of fuck all.

 

[Judge Jules]

In personal scoring terms yes, but he's had a hand in a fair few of the goals others have scored. Like Coutinho and Allen, he's a player who needs others around him to be making intelligent runs in order to contribute fully.

 

[Farkmaster]

He's technically competent and English, so he's overpriced and mediocre.

 

[willby]

Spoiler

5-Live Commentary before he joined Liverpool: Lalaaana!!!
He used to score goals for Southampton, got an England call up and was booked for dissent.. and then he joined Liverpool; and has gone AWOL since .

 

[ILD]

I like Lallana. I like his work rate and his ability to take the ball in any position on the pitch and hold onto it. He's perfect for the big games when hard work and ball retention is imperative. However he has his limitations, which we can all see. I don't read too much into his supposed need to hold on to them ball. Perhaps it's a bad habit he has formed but it isn't detrimental to us. I'd be angrier if he was continuing to hold on to the ball and relinquishing possession. He needs to be surrounded by players who can go win us the game. Not really a good sign is it? But..... I think we are better as a whole when he is in team. I have no problem with Lallana starting with a mix of Coutinho, Sturridge, Ings and Frimino. He will accommodate those players and gel with them instantly. The problem arises when he's paired with say Milner and Frimino. That trio will struggle to provide a cutting edge that is needed to get behind decent defenses. We have a right to expect a better goal return from a player of his fee. That part is very frustrating but he didn't set his fee. I'd have no problem with Lallana being rotated with our other attacking midfielders we just need to pick the right balance of players. I also have no problem with him being replaced with a player who can do his work but score more goals.

To summarise, I like him and I would continue to play him if he's paired with a compatible forward line but I wouldn't lose any sleep if he was sold in the summer.

 

[doctor_mac]

In personal scoring terms yes, but he's had a hand in a fair few of the goals others have scored. Like Coutinho and Allen, he's a player who needs others around him to be making intelligent runs in order to contribute fully.

He has had three assists JJ, which isn't exactly topping the tables in terms of creativity either. The thing is, you want players in the forward positions to have that capacity to be match winners– and yes, on their own at times. When the players around him are having a hard day at the office. To have that bit of individual skill, that bit of audacity that sneaks you tight games. We've seen Coutinho do it quite a few times. Ibe has already done it a couple of times. He just doesn't seem to be doing it. I say this as someone who actually likes him, and recognises all those positives that everyone else can see. I just don't think he's ever going to contribute enough to warrant his place in the team.

 

[SummerOnions]

He's almost a great player. I think he's just too slow mentally, like the rest of our team. We play like everyone has just woken up after a bender

 

[davud graham]

He's almost a great player. I think he's just too slow mentally, like the rest of our team. We play like everyone has just woken up after a bender

I've heard that rumour about him too!

 

[Aidan O' Neill]

In personal scoring terms yes, but he's had a hand in a fair few of the goals others have scored. Like Coutinho and Allen, he's a player who needs others around him to be making intelligent runs in order to contribute fully.

I honestly can't remember what hand he's had in many of our goals this season. He made a very clever dummy against City that Firmino should have scored from, but I can't remember much else. His work rate is excellent, but there's only so much you can do with work rate and he is not producing in the final third.

 

[rurikbird]

The season before we signed him:

Shots per 90 min: 2.03

14/15:
Passing Accuracy: 82.5%
Passing Accuracy opp. Half: 79.1%
Tackles Won: 88.9%
Shooting Accuracy: 46.4%
Goals: 5
Assists: 3
Shots per 90 min: 1.4

15/16:
Passing Accuracy: 79.8%
Passing Accuracy opp. Half: 76.5%
Tackles Won: 69.7%
Shooting Accuracy: 37.5%
Goals: 0
Assists: 3
Shots per 90 min: 1.14

These are devastating stats. He has regressed in every stat category for the past 2 years. You could make a case for 2013-14 Adam Lallana having a place in this team, but the current version is just painfully mediocre.

 

[Rosco]

Its almost like he peaked two years ago then ?

 

[Oliver Twist]

So far, he's a disappointment.