Lallana says Liverpool will bounce back to their best

Saying yes to Liverpool was the simple part for Adam Lallana. His 14-year progression from boy to captain at Southampton and background as an Evertonian enthralled by Neville Southall did not enter the equation. The difficulty, he suspected, would be the daily fight to prove he belonged at one of the giants of the game. He has not been disappointed.

There has been no genteel introduction to Anfield life for the most expensive component in Liverpool’s €150 million summer outlay, nor will there be any respite in today’s Merseyside derby. Having suffered a knee ligament injury in only his fourth pre-season training session the 26-year-old, not unlike his new team in the Premier League, was unable to hit the ground running.

Tough spell

l He has sampled victory in the Champions League against Ludogorets Razgrad and converted twice in the epic 30-penalty shootout win over Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup, but two Premier League outings have both resulted in defeat. With Brendan Rodgers' side offering little so far to assuage predictions they would regress without Luis Suarez, the implications of the result against Everton extend beyond mere bragging rights.

“Not for one minute did I think it would be easy coming to join such a big club,” says Lallana, a €32 million piece of the post-Suarez rebuilding work at Anfield. “You have to work twice as hard. It’s going to take a bit of adjusting with new players, but I am 100 per cent confident we will be better for it. We have got an excellent manager and a good, grounded group of lads who want to work hard and achieve success. By doing all that, I’m 100 per cent convinced we will get there.

“We have had a bit of a tough spell but that brings everyone together. We ground out the result against Boro and we are going to have to show that side of ourselves at the minute. Every team has to grind out results at some stage and maybe we have to show different characteristics, but we will get there. I never visualised it was going to be easy coming to a club this big, but it’s where I want to be. I want to be tested, I want to work and I want to do well.”

Lallana would once have found it impossible to envisage an Everton defeat before a Merseyside derby or that his debut in the fixture would come in red. The St Albans-born midfielder grew up an Evertonian, following the path of his father, and made the occasional trek to Goodison Park when playing commitments with Bournemouth and later Southampton allowed. The 223rd Merseyside derby will be Lallana’s first experience of local hostility, however, and there are no divided loyalties among those closest to him.

He explains: "My dad used to support Everton in the Gary Lineker days when they were doing well, so that's the reason I started following them. I would always look for their result but, playing for Southampton for so many years, it became less and less. Everton always seemed to be fighting relegation when I was supporting them. I seem to remember there were a lot of tears.

“But my dad was over the moon when I told him I was joining Liverpool. He just supports whoever I play for and wants me to do well and the team I am playing for to do well. The rest of the family were delighted too.

“It’s a dream move, a huge club and I’m delighted to be here. My family come to most of the games and they will be here for the derby, with some friends as well. They will all be sat in the home end. I know Everton have not won at Anfield for 15 years and hopefully we can keep that intact and get the win we need this time too.”

Lallana is effectively in pre-season following a seven-week recovery from the knee injury, according to Rodgers, who has also claimed that the “weight of the jersey here is heavy for most players” as eight new signings adjust to the demands of Liverpool. The team’s fluency has suffered as a consequence.

“Just playing for such a big club as Liverpool brings a greater expectation,” says the nine-times capped international. “You go into games with a different mentality, you are expected to win a lot more games, teams come to you and camp themselves behind the ball. There are different challenges.

“There is more pressure but it is something you cannot quite explain unless you have experienced it yourself. There is a difference when you pull on that Liverpool shirt to playing for Southampton or any other different team, but it is a great feeling as well.

Fallen short

“There’s the fans. You see the relationship they have with the players here and that is something I hope to build myself. The best way to overcome the expectation and pressure is to just try and enjoy your football. You play your best when you play with a smile.”

Lallana likens his arrival at Liverpool to “the first day of school”. The midfielder would have been integrated earlier but for his transfer being held up by Bournemouth’s claim to 25 per cent of his sell-on fee from Southampton.

His adjustment off the pitch has been helped by having a sister living on the Wirral – her partner is the Tranmere Rovers’ player Abdulai Bell-Baggie – and his influence on it is improving judging by Tuesday’s 120-minute display against Middlesbrough. But he knows Liverpool have fallen short of last season’s heights so far, and that a derby victory can erase insecurities at a stroke.

“There have been references to getting back to last season’s form,” says Lallana of team meetings with Rodgers. “That is what is expected of us. There’s been a lot of changes, but we don’t want to keep making excuses. We know what standard is required and we feel that we might have dropped off that a little bit. But we are hungry and determined to get back to where we were.” Guardian Service