Liverpool’s Adam Lallana is thriving and proving his doubters wrong when his team needs him most

When Philippe Coutinho went down with injury, Liverpool fans were worried. Their attack had been humming along in impressive form and flair, thanks in large part to some absolutely astounding performances from the Brazilian, and without him, many wondered how their attack would get along.

Turns out, thanks in large part to Adam Lallana, they’re getting along just fine.

Lallana has long been admired for his hard-working style, something Liverpool has taken advantage of whenever they can ever since they brought him in from Southampton in 2014. What hadn’t always translated from his Southampton days, though, was Lallana’s occasionally impressive moments of flair and creativity, with the young Englishman often deferring to some of his other attacking teammates and playing a supporting role.

Now, though, with Coutinho out, Lallana has been back at his jaw-dropping best. He’s scored three goals in his last two matches, including scoring a brace in a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough and assisting on the one goal he didn’t score. He’s stepped up in a big way, demanding the ball and always performing with it, becoming a reliable player for Liverpool to lean on to extend an attack and stay dangerous. Thanks to Lallana’s recent surge in form, they’ve hardly had to worry about Coutinho being absent, which makes the prospect of facing them with both Coutinho and Lallana truly daunting.

And it has to be said, when Adam Lallana is rolling, he is a lot of fun to watch.

But it’s not like Lallana’s surge just started or came out of nowhere — he’s quietly been much more impressive for most of this season than he had been for much of his first two on Merseyside. Whether that’s because he has taken a big step forward in his development at 28, or because he and Jurgen Klopp have figured something out for his approach on the pitch is unclear, but he’s consistently been a major, if sometimes overlooked, threat for Liverpool.

That’s been demonstrated by the fact that Lallana already has six goals and six assists through 14 league matches — already the most goals he’s scored with Liverpool in a season, while matching his career-high for assists. The way he’s used his sky-high work rate to constantly buzz just alongside the action to be available as an outlet or as a second option as play develops has been vital — and right now, he’s serving as an excellent focal point for Liverpool’s attack with Coutinho no longer available to fill that role.

Lallana has actually been able to emulate many of the things that Coutinho does on the ball in terms of the runs he makes and passes he looks to execute, allowing Liverpool’s attack to function in almost exactly the same way. Better yet, he’s found a very good understanding with striker Divock Origi, playing a big part in the Belgian’s run of five goals in five matches.

Lallana has had a lot of doubters over the last few years, especially after he had a slow, injury-laden start with Liverpool. But this season he’s been much healthier, and much more effective on the pitch, allowing him to explode into prominence and show off just how good he can be. This run of form from Lallana has been a lot of fun to watch, and hopefully it continues on for a long, long time to come.