Supporters may not fully appreciate the 27-year-old midfielder's contribution to the team since his move from Southampton but the Reds boss and his backroom staff certainly do

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has a tactical awareness to adapt to what is required of him and to put the team above his personal ambitions".



At Southampton,









The backroom teams who have worked with Lallana see beyond the Vine-worthy moments. They look deeper than the flair and note his function. The Spurs boss still keeps in touch with him and feels that he is "one of the best players in England".



Liverpool paid £25 million for the Saints academy graduate and that figure is often used as the asterisk against any of his performances, but his trainers cannot put a price on the awareness and industry that he offers.



Can Lallana produce more goals and assists? Absolutely. But that is not the essence of his game - he has only netted double figures once in all competitions while in the Premier League. Philippe Coutinho, widely considered to be Liverpool's standout star, has had a hand in 12 goals this season and Lallana has been involved in one fewer.



If there is one concern surrounding the England international, it is his injury problems - he has endured five different setbacks over the past two campaigns - but, on a personal level, those will be small annoyances given that he grew up fearing that his football career would never materialise.







During his scholarship at Southampton, Lallana was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis – the same condition suffered by Darren Fletcher, though a milder version. He also required keyhole surgery to cure an irregular heartbeat.



Lallana has always maintained that he feels lucky to still be in the game, but the managers who have fielded him insist they are the fortunate ones.



There are some players who supporters will always want to see more and that is understandable, but it is unfair to accuse Lallana of contributing less than he actually has.



Mauricio Pochettino referenced his delight at managing "such a very talented, special player". The esteemed Argentine, now in the Tottenham dugout, believed that, if Lallana "had a Brazilian nationality, a Spanish nationality, if he were another Mata, Oscar, Hazard, or any of these type of players", he would garner more plaudits.The backroom teams who have worked with Lallana see beyond the Vine-worthy moments. They look deeper than the flair and note his function. The Spurs boss still keeps in touch with him and feels that he is "one of the best players in England".Liverpool paid £25 million for the Saints academy graduate and that figure is often used as the asterisk against any of his performances, but his trainers cannot put a price on the awareness and industry that he offers.Can Lallana produce more goals and assists? Absolutely. But that is not the essence of his game - he has only netted double figures once in all competitions while in the Premier League. Philippe Coutinho, widely considered to be Liverpool's standout star, has had a hand in 12 goals this season and Lallana has been involved in one fewer.If there is one concern surrounding the England international, it is his injury problems - he has endured five different setbacks over the past two campaigns - but, on a personal level, those will be small annoyances given that he grew up fearing that his football career would never materialise.During his scholarship at Southampton, Lallana was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis – the same condition suffered by Darren Fletcher, though a milder version. He also required keyhole surgery to cure an irregular heartbeat.Lallana has always maintained that he feels lucky to still be in the game, but the managers who have fielded him insist they are the fortunate ones.There are some players who supporters will always want to see more and that is understandable, but it is unfair to accuse Lallana of contributing less than he actually has.

Sift through the details of Liverpool 's most explosive performances of the season and you will continuously spot Adam Lallana among the club's starters.In both Premier League dissections of Manchester City, he was irrepressible. When the Reds rocked Jose Mourinho's Chelsea on their own turf, he delivered his industrious best.At St Mary's, as Liverpool scorched his former side, Southampton 6-1, he again proved to be a fundamental part of their fluidity. And when Jurgen Klopp's glasses were broken in celebratory scenes at Carrow Road, it was his cameo that sparked and sealed a 5-4 comeback against Norwich City, leading to imagery that has been tattooed onto the memory.Lallana was not involved in the Valentine's Day massacre of Aston Villa due to a calf problem and, under the German, he has only been denied a place in the first XI through injury or a necessity to be kept fresh owing to fixture congestion.At Melwood, he is viewed as one of Klopp's "go-to guys": a player whom the manager extensively trusts to execute his tactics effectively and helps ensure the team carries out the characteristics of full-throttle football.With Liverpool facing Manchester United in a European fixture for the first time on Thursday night, it would be a surprise if Lallana is not in the starting XI for the two-legged tussle.The Europa League last-16 affair will be tense and taxing and Klopp is sure to stick with the 27-year-old, who is able to do what is required in and out of possession.Lallana may not be labelled one of Liverpool's best players but he makes those who are operate better. He may not be filled with 40-yard passes and outside-of-the-boot assists but he can intelligently and effectively press opponents. It may not be as sexy but it is as important.Often the things which he offers cannot be quantified nor do they attract attention: creating angles for combination play, switching the tempo of the action when needed, putting in impressive defensive shifts and opening up passing lanes.Lallana can function in different positions and systems and equally implement Klopp's demands. He is a constant source of encouragement and is vocal on and off the pitch, which has impressed the Liverpool boss."He's a great, great player," Klopp has said, "and, for our game, very, very important because he is a real lively, energetic player. He loves pressing and counter-pressing."It is not just the 48-year-old who has appreciated Lallana's talent of improving the collective. Before Klopp, Brendan Rodgers detailed how the versatile midfielder, who has progressed from League One to the top tier, "