Klopp has managed to coax the best out of the talented play-maker this season, so it is no wonder Lallana is loving life at Anfield.
Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana has told Sky Sports that he is relishing the aggressive nature of Jurgen Klopp’s game plan at Anfield.
The Reds have exploded into life this season under the German, with their buccaneering attacking football and famous high press leaving opponents breathless and beaten on more than a few occasions.
And while Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino have earned admiration for their superb performances in the final third, England international Lallana is finally coming into his own in his third season on Merseyside.
The 28-year-old has scored three times and created five more, though his work rate and desire to win possession back via Klopp’s trademark gegenpressing approach is reminiscent of his breakthrough season under Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton, another manager renowned for his insistence on high pressure defending.
And Lallana admits that he is thriving under the Dortmund coach’s tactics and insists he will never shy away from hard work.
“I love intercepting and tackling as much as I do scoring. It’s a mentality thing,” Lallana told Sky Sports.
“Pochettino and Klopp have both brought that aggression to my game, that bite. They make the hard work enjoyable and that’s what we’ve got in abundance on the pitch at the minute. Everyone wants to work hard on that pitch – that feeling that it hurts.”
Klopp has certainly helped transform Lallana’s fortunes at Anfield, having struggled to make a consistent impact in games until this season where he has evolved from a subtle link man into a forceful attacker.
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