Former Liverpool star Adam Lallana is a major doubt for Brighton's FA Cup Fourth Round tie next weekend after picking up an injury on Saturday.
The midfielder has been in superb form for the Seagulls, but was forced off against Leicester City yesterday after picking up a muscular problem. Brighton went on to draw the match 2-2.
The 34-year-old has three goals and an assist to his name in his last eight matches but was forced off after only half an hour at the King Power Stadium.
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Speaking after the match, Brighton boss Robwerto De Zerbi said: "Normally we play better with Lallana on the pitch for sure. But I think in the second half we maybe played better. We were stronger in the last part of the pitch when we were attacking. We were stronger but Lallana is a very, very important player. I think it is a muscular injury."
Liverpool travel back down to the South Coast a week today, where they will be hoping for a significantly better result than the 3-0 drubbing they suffered in the Premier League last weekend.
And fans will always look back at Lallana’s time at Anfield with great fondness and affection and will remember him as a gifted, flair player who provided individual brilliance in an otherwise regimented, albeit unstoppable Jurgen Klopp side.
Lallana joined the Reds in 2014 for a fee of £25 million with now Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers in charge at the time. In 2017, as a reward for his performances and contribution to the club’s ascendency to the top once more, Lallana penned a new deal which would run until 2020.
Since joining Brighton on the expiration of that contract, Lallana is showcasing his skills in the expressive, free role that saw him earn a reputation as one of the country’s most naturally gifted talents during his time at Southampton.
Speaking on The Big Interview with Graham Hunter, the midfielder, who grew up supporting Liverpool’s bitter Merseyside rivals Everton, revealed the sacrifices and adjustments he had to make to his game in order to thrive in the regimented, high-intensity Jurgen Klopp system.
Lallana said: “When I was at Liverpool, Jurgen taught me that there was more than one way to win football matches and win Champions Leagues and leagues. It’s hard work, that’s the German in him. I felt like I became institutionalised there to work and run. There are different ways to have success.”
Having made the return to the South Coast two-and-a-half years ago, this time in the blue and white of Brighton, Lallana, now without the shackles and pressures of elite football, is reverting back to a style of football that comes naturally to him and is enjoying playing with more freedom.
“Since coming away from Liverpool and the intensity of that football club. Brighton is different to Liverpool. I’m feeling like my old self," he said.
“The qualities, I can walk a bit more, I would never have said that I could walk at Liverpool because I’d have been paranoid about the press and the second-balls. I’m not saying that isn’t right because that’s Jurgen’s way and we did well.”
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