In my view, this season is the most exciting yet with so many great options emerging. The resurgence of Fantasy greats of yore is particularly pleasing with Raheem Sterling, Theo Walcott, Jermain Defoe and the man I will be discussing – Adam Lallana – all in a rich vein of form in 2016/17.
Lallana plays for a team that has scored an average of 2.67 goals a game. With goals and assists spread over the Liverpool team, a key question this season is – which of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and Lallana should we be considering? In my view, the best option in the Liverpool team is the 12.7% owned England international. Here are the reasons why:
Improvement
To me, the standout player in England’s failed Euro 2016 campaign was Lallana. Finally we saw why Liverpool forked out 25m for his services a few years back as his invention and slick passing attempted to paper over the chasm like cracks in the England team.
Comparing the Lallana of 15/16 with the Lallana of 16/17 highlights the vast improvement he has made in nearly all aspects of his game.
Involved in 28% of Liverpool’s goals, when on the pitch last year, he has already been involved in 40% of Liverpool’s goals this year.
His average touches per match are up from 53.8 last year, to 71.8 this year and crucially his goal attempts are up from 1.5 a match to 2.5 a match, with an attempt on goal happening every 33 minutes compared to every 50 minutes last year.
These stats are better than players such as Payet of 2015/16, who scored a whooping 172 points in his debut year
On current form Lallana looks to be a 12 to 15 goal a season player barring injury, which could bring in around 180 points. This would be an incredible return for a player that started the season with a 7.0 price tag.
Manager’s backing
Crucially, Lallana has the full backing of Jurgen Klopp, who after the Hull game singled him out for praise.
Honestly, since I am here Adam is the player you saw against Hull. He likes to train, he likes to work, he was like this from the first day. This is now the credit he takes from the work he did… it’s all about playing the game and creating the spaces you need. We knew how Hull would defend so he did really well and his most spectacular thing apart from his goal was his counter-pressing, and that was really impressive. – Klopp
His recent record-breaking distance covered by a player in the Premier League in 2016-17 (13.1km against Leicester) also highlights just how instrumental he is for Liverpool’s high pressure, high intensity play. From looking at comments from the community, I have seen a few concerned over his pitch time.
From what I have seen, Firmino, Lallana and Mane are so integral to Liverpool’s style that there is simply no way they can be dropped and with no European commitments, his place looks very secure.
While Sturridge and Coutinho will get game time, in my opinion it will be a battle between these two potentially explosive players for a spot in the team.
Midfield minefield
The most kindly priced out of the four key Liverpool midfielders mentioned (7.2) may also trick Fantasy managers into thinking that he will struggle to match his counterparts. The stats simply do not back this theory up.
Members can view a table of stats comparing these players here.
What really jumps out to me in this table is just how close all four players are in terms of many of the stats I have identified.
While Countinho may lead the way with regards to goal attempts – the rest of the stats paint the picture that Lallana is more active in the penalty area than the Brazilian and has taken more shots in the box (which in my view, are the most likely shots to end up in the back of the net).
Lallana’s touches in the box are nearly on par with Mane and Firmino too – indicating that the Enlgishman is getting the ball in all the right areas. Lallana boasts the highest goal involvement of all four players and also more goal attempts than Mane and Firmino.
Price
A quick note on price. Currently, Lallana is 1.0m cheaper than Coutinho, 1.2m cheaper than Firmino and a massive 1.8m cheaper than Mane. These funds are crucial to ensure the rest of your team is as strong as possible in all areas. The difference in price could be the difference between owning Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez or Mesut Ozil for example.
Conclusion
I was lucky enough to bring in Lallana last week, so I have had immediate returns with his 15 point haul. This has reaffirmed my belief that he is the best Liverpool midfielder to bring in. With Klopp’s comments, the stats and the prices of Liverpool’s other key targets considered, I would advise anyone considering a Liverpool midfielder to go for Lallana.
7 years, 7 months ago
Looking to get him GWK 9 for a Liverpool double up. Sensational Southampton-days-esque form.