Opinion: Can Adam Lallana still forge a career under Jurgen Klopp?

A last-gasp goal to give your team the victory is the stuff of fairytales, except it happened for Adam Lallana at Carrow Road. 

The Liverpool midfielder's future may be in doubt but his heroics against Norwich City in the Premier League on Saturday may have offered him a lifeline. 

The Reds looked set to suffer more late heartbreak when Sebastien Bassong equalised in stoppage-time but depletion turned to ecstacy as Lallana volleyed home from inside the box to give his side all three points in the 5-4 win.

A series of emotional scenes followed as manager Jürgen Klopp embraced the 27-year-old in his arms while his team-mates grouped together in celebration. 

However, do the dramatics of their win at Norwich just paper over the cracks of the Englishman's future or can he use it as a foundation to kick-start his Anfield career again? 

Background

Adam Lallana began his footballing career journey as a member of Bournemouth's Centre of Excellence, this is where he began to fully dream of becoming a footballer and where his talents where first nurtured, shaped and developed. 

The Cherries would not be his calling and soon the bigger clubs came in for him. Eventually, Southampton acquired his signature, but not before agreeing a compensation fee with his former development club worth up to £10,000 - a staggering amount considering the player was just 12-years-old. 

Lallana would work his way up the youth system at the Saints before eventually recieving his first call up in August in 2006 in a 5-2 thrashing of Yeovil Town in the League Cup. His next milestone came against West Bromich Albion as he scored his first professional goal in an important Championship contest.

The creative midfielder was developing well and broke into the first team in the 2008/09 season, soon becoming a regular face at St Mary's. He became a key part of the team that was promoted to the Championship from League One and was again an integral asset to his side's Premier League promotion in 2012. He was named in the Championship team of the season in 2011-12 season as he went on to score 11 goals in that season to spearhead a promotion charge.

The playmaker was named captain upon making it to the top-flight, in which himself and his side showcased superb performances to fit right in amongst the best teams in England, so much so that he was shortlisted for the PFA Player Of The Year award and despite missing out to Luis Suarez, he was named in the PFA Team Of The Year for that season. Rather than stopping there he went on to bag Player's Player and Fan's Player of the Year award for Southampton, in what was a breakout year for the midfielder. 

After featuring for England in the World Cup in Brazil his status rose and big clubs came knocking, Lallana answered as Liverpool agreed a deal worth £25 million for the Saints captain. Despite a tough start to his Anfield career, he managed to rack up six goals from 41 appearances in his debut season for the club. 

Lallana's season so far

The player has come under fire this season with many praising him for his work rate but criticising his lack of influence in important games, but the player seems to be a familar face in Klopp's XI.

Lallana has so far scored just one league goal in 19 Premier League games this season, a truly teling statistic in a season that could make or break the player. And with his manager promising changes come the end of the season the 27-year-old is risking the chop from Klopp. 

With Liverpool currently based in seventh place in the league which is shockingly one of the highest standings this season, this is largely down to the heroics of the England international as his goal earnt his side a valuable victory in the chase for a place in Europe. 

Klopp has reportedly been given a war chest to play with this summer, reportedly more money than he ever had at Borussia Dortmund, and as such he is expected to hold a mass clearout at Anfield, so has Lallana done enough to be deserving of the no.20 shirt next season?

Head-to-head

Looking at some of the Premier League's top performers really brings perspective as to whether Lallana has truly performed at that top level this season, analysing the top five teams and the players in their positions against the midfielder offers valuable insight as to how he ranks amongst the best.

Looking at the statistics in the table above, it is clear that Lallana is way off the pace with the best in his position this season. Despite playing less than the other five players, he has managed a measly 547 passes, a stark comparison Arsenal's Mesut Ozil who has achieved 1,726 passes and lies head and shoulders above any other midfield player this season, with the German World Cup winner the current favourite for the PFA Player Of The Year award. 

The Liverpool midfielder should take solace in the fact that he still has a few months left to turn these stats in his favour and push from his current slump, and with the European Championships occurring this summer, every English international should be busting a gut to show manager Roy Hodgson they deserve a seat on that plane. 

The former Saints captain must up his game or risk becoming known as a flop at Anfield, his trademark Cruyff turn is becoming a rather unflattering image in the minds of Liverpool fans at it very rarely produces a goalscoring opportunity and at 27 he should be much more capable and reliable than what he has shown. 

Lallana has been one of the best English midfielders over the past four seasons and has altered the expected images of how a central player should operate. With his smooth play and delicate flair he has been able to demonstrate how players can use their skill rather than power to forge a career in one of the toughest leagues in the world, but he still needs to prove he can help produce when it matters for Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool side.