Philippe Coutinho’s move to Barcelona certainly seems oddly timed from a Liverpool perspective, with Jurgen Klopp unable to find an immediate replacement. Coutinho clearly wanted to leave the club and the manager felt that it could be harmful to the squad to keep him there until the end of the season.
The pressure from supporters to find a big money alternative has perhaps altered the thinking regarding Naby Keita. The Guinean will join the Reds at the end of the season from RB Leipzig, although it has been reported that they would like to bring the deal forward.
Klopp obviously feels he needs more numbers centrally with Emre Can departing in the summer and Jordan Henderson struggling with injuries, although it’s arguable that they don’t need a direct equivalent for Coutinho. The Brazilian played the majority of his Anfield career out wide and Klopp still has a variety of quality options for the three attacking positions.
The German only opted to use Coutinho as part of his midfield three towards the end of the last campaign and that perhaps accelerated Barcelona into thinking that he could be the long-term successor to Andres Iniesta rather than Neymar. Coutinho’s last five months on Merseyside were his best and in time may distort how he is remembered.
It’s only in the last 18 months that he has shown the sort of consistency to warrant a move to the Camp Nou. Adam Lallana had already been used as the more creative part of the central trident, after he was moved into a deeper role at the start of the 2016/17 term.
It’s easy to forget the influence that Lallana had in this capacity and how he helped counter the problem of low-block defences. He offers a number of stylistic similarities to Coutinho, although he hasn’t had quite the same impact in front of goal.
Lallana isn’t Coutinho, but his improvement under Klopp has been equally as impressive. The former Southampton player makes a huge difference off the ball, as he sets the tempo of the second line of attack when it comes to pressing the ball.
“The most spectacular situations apart from his goal were his counter-pressing,” said Klopp about the maestro after they beat Hull City last season. “That was really impressive.
“Honestly Adam as a player, since I’ve been here... you saw. It’s not always about performing like this, it’s about working attitude, it’s about being involved in all the team things, in all the sessions.”
Lallana’s team ethic and character are the attributes that make him standout above his skill levels. He only returned to training in November and made his first start of the season on New Year’s Day.
It will take time for Lallana to regain his top form after missing the opening months following his thigh injury which he picked up in pre-season. However, Klopp has used him sparingly over the festive period, despite the increase in games.
Lallana now has a clear opportunity in the team, due to Coutinho’s departure. If he can produce the same standard as last term, with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah ahead of him, then Liverpool will be just as fearsome going forward.
