Lallana Key To Jurgen Klopp’s Revolution

As we approach the turn of the year, it’s time to take a look at how Liverpool have fared so far in 2016-17.

Is this the year the Reds finally end their long wait for a league title? Here’s how the season has gone so far.

Second in the table at Christmas is the most obvious positive, but how Liverpool got there also provides great encouragement for supporters. The Reds have dominated almost every game they’ve played this season — even the two they’ve lost — and they’re the Premier League’s top scorers as well as the most entertaining side in the land.

Summer signings Sadio Mane and Joel Matip have made a big impression and certainly helped to improve the team from last year, while positional switches for James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana have paid off handsomely too.

Wins at the Emirates and Stamford Bridge are also highly encouraging.

Losses at Burnley and Bournemouth in games the Reds were vastly superior are the reason they are not neck and neck with leaders Chelsea. Both were unnecessary defeats based on the balance of play and Liverpool need to avoid any similar losses in the second half of the season. The collapse at Bournemouth was especially concerning as supporters had hoped such embarrassing capitulations were a thing of the past.

The much-maligned defence has actually been much better than their record suggests, but silly individual errors have occasionally proved costly. Liverpool are not easy to create chances against, but the problem is a high percentage of the chances they do allow end up in their net.

The fact this is so difficult shows just how well Liverpool have performed as a team. It could easily be half a dozen players. Philippe Coutinho, Firmino, Mane, Matip, Henderson and Milner have all shone but Lallana is the star man though. Scoring and creating goals, he is the trigger to the pressing game along with his grace and balance.

It’s extremely harsh to brand him a “flop” at this early stage, especially given his age and potential to improve, but Loris Karius has clearly been Liverpool’s most disappointing player. In fact, he’s probably the only one in the entire squad that has struggled as Alberto Moreno has recovered from a difficult start and has performed well when called upon in the EFL Cup.

A broken hand in preseason set Karius back and caused him to miss the opening month, but when he was eventually given his opportunity at the expense of the rather unfortunate Simon Mignolet, he didn’t really convince and was eventually dropped after a much publicised spat with Gary Neville that also saw Klopp get involved as he stuck up for his under fire player. Klopp’s support only went so far though as he immediately reinstated Mignolet, who has responded with two clean sheets.

At worst it looks like a top-four finish, but there’s every chance Klopp’s men can sustain a real challenge for the title. They can win it.