Adam Lallana has been missing for Liverpool since he picked up an injury on international duty with England. He’s missed Liverpool’s last four games, from which the Reds have picked up ten points.
So with that in mind, if he’s fit for Liverpool’s game against Watford on 1st May, should he automatically come back into a Liverpool midfield that has at times thrived in his absence?
Missing attacking fluency
Yes. It’s more imperative than ever for Liverpool to get Lallana back into the side, with Jordan Henderson potentially ruled out for the season, and Lucas Leiva carrying a niggle himself.
Although Liverpool have played well over the last four games without Lallana, as both Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum have been phenomenal for the last few months, there’s been an element of stagnation to Liverpool’s attacking play over the last four games, and they’ve been dependent on the individual qualities of Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino in particular to carry them through.
This is evidenced by the fact that although Liverpool have scored eight goals in those four games without Lallana, their xG is significantly lower, just 4.9 across the four games.
Liverpool haven’t been dominant and their attacking free-flowing football simply hasn’t operated without Lallana in the side, although Can and Wijnaldum have been solid defensively and produced moments of quality in his absence.
There’s very much a sense that Liverpool are hanging by a thread in terms of performances, results and injuries. They’re doing what they need to do, but at any minute the bubble could pop.
It might just take one more bad injury, or one poor performance, and everything could still come crashing down, although at this stage it’s looking increasingly likely that Liverpool can limp over the finishing line and into next season’s Champions League.
Lallana adds balance and energy
Nevertheless having Lallana return would offer two things. First, it would offer a fresh impetus and energy to the side, both on a personal level and in terms of what Lallana represents.
Lallana is the hardest working player in the Premier League, and having him back will significantly improve the energy levels of our midfield, but at the same time it will also give a morale boost to Wijnaldum and Can, as well as those ahead of them. Lallana offers energy, but he also offers fluidity and would be a massive boost for the side.
Moreover, the other thing Lallana’s return offers is balance. Whilst Lucas has slotted nicely into the defensive midfield role, a midfield trident of Can, Wijnaldum and Lallana certainly offers more attacking threat, and Can has been a colossus in the defensive midfield role since the injury to Henderson.
The argument against Lallana’s inclusion is worth considering, even if only to be rejected. Lallana’s form in 2017 has been abysmal, even before his injury, and throwing a potentially unfit and out of form player into a team like Liverpool, which so often requires everyone to be playing well in order to get the best out of them, could be a massive error. Moreover, giving Lallana 90 minutes before he is ready for them could do him further damage.
Whether Lallana is fit to start or not however, is entirely down to the physios and Jürgen Klopp and if Lallana is fit, he should absolutely be starting.
His patchy form aside, he’s a clutch player for this Liverpool team and having as many of those in the starting eleven as possible is definitely going to increase their chances of getting over the line and finishing in the top four.