Pre Match Pre Match - Southampton (H) - Tues 20:00
- Thread starter Brizzle
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Status
Hmmm I could swap the initial poster to DB and solve two probs in one?
View: https://x.com/TimesSport/status/1970092533280886962
View: https://x.com/_pauljoyce/status/1970084606532547069
In days gone by the nerves might come before a win-or-bust World Cup game with England or entering the Champions League final with Liverpool.
Now the moment Adam Lallana notices his stomach is beginning to churn is usually straight after the Southampton manager Will Still has asked his first-team coach to put on a training drill for the Sky Bet Championship side.
The 37-year-old’s retirement as a player at the end of last season after Southampton’s demotion from the Premier League drew a slew of tributes for a career well spent. Yet his move into coaching on the very same day went unnoticed to some, so much so that people will stop and ask him what he is doing these days.
His reply is that after almost two decades sampling everything the game can throw at you, the highs and the lows, he is like the kid starting over again.
“When the manager asks me to do a session, or I think of a session, straight away I get that feeling in my chest of butterflies: ‘Oh, I’ve got to prepare this and I want it to be perfect. What are my key points going to be? What players have I got and could that change at the last minute?’
“And I think it’s nice to feel like that because I’m outside my comfort zone. That’s where I want to be. Because that’s how I’m going to learn.”
On Tuesday Lallana will be at Anfield, once his field of dreams but now the scene of what he hopes will be an unlikely giant-killing act as Southampton arrive in the Carabao Cup third round.
For a long time his move into coaching felt inevitable and he is hugely grateful to Still for offering the opportunity to begin learning a different craft under him.
Lallana tried some punditry towards the end of his career, including insightful columns for The Times at major tournaments, but he was already combining duties at former club Brighton & Hove Albion under Roberto De Zerbi, where he was almost a conduit between the playing and coaching staff, with a role in Lee Carsley’s backroom team with England Under-21.
The yearning to leave football’s coalface has never been there, although just to be sure Lallana took two months off at the end of last term. He quickly discovered he had itchy feet.
“I found myself in my garden at strange times,” he explains with a chuckle. “It was like 11am and I’m having a coffee. I was thinking I’m never usually in my garden at 11am! When you come to the end of your career there are lots of players that feel it’s just normal to say, ‘Oh, I’ve fallen out of love with the game’ because of injuries or because your game time gets less and less.
“I always had a natural headspace where I could separate the fact that, yeah, it is hard when your body’s slowing down but I still love the game and what the game represents. I still have passion for the game and helping players. And coaching is basically helping players. Taking a team and developing the team and then helping the team win and be successful and get better.”
The passion pours out of Lallana as he speaks about the excitement of being back on a pitch with just his “boots, whistle and a stopwatch” and the long hours of planning and studying that his new job entails for the father of three. He is learning what style of coach he will be, but concedes he is “demanding” with the passing or unit drills that Still has asked him to oversee.
“I think it is good to be like that, but also there are different types of learners,” he adds. “There are visual learners and cognitive learners and there are ways to get things out of sessions rather than just be demanding all the time. This is everything I am figuring out. There are certain exercises you can put out when you don’t have to say a thing and learning comes from the rules and the repetitions.”
Influences are as rich as they are varied. He still speaks to De Zerbi, now in charge at Marseille, most weeks and Brentford’s Jordan Henderson, his former Liverpool team-mate and forever a soulmate, every other day.
When Henderson recently returned from England duty in Serbia they touched on the impact of Noni Madueke and Tino Livramento with the national team, the duo among those Lallana worked with during his stint with the juniors.
And then there is Jürgen Klopp, the manager who helped him achieve almost everything he ever wanted on a pitch and who remains a reference point. By coincidence, one of the young analysts at Southampton asked in the summer about playing under Klopp, so his one-time disciple picked a game and they sat together and dissected it.
Lallana is not stupid. He selected the 1-0 victory over Manchester City on New Year’s Eve in 2016 when he supplied a sumptuous cross for Georginio Wijnaldum to thump home a header in a success that announced Liverpool were coming.
Tactical elements came to the fore but this is also the reason why Tuesday’s tie will feel like Lallana is returning to his “northern home”. “Straight away I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is a Jürgen team,’” Lallana says. “We were 4-3-3, marking space, counterpressing, there was no man-for-man.
“It was like everyone [in the opposition team] is everyone’s man. And that was Jürgen’s philosophy. Football looked a little bit different eight years ago. We didn’t play out from the back really once. Goal kicks were just played long and it was a second-ball game. It was wild football. It was what Jürgen wanted. He never overcomplicated it but he was demanding. Extremely demanding.
“I suppose taking my first steps in coaching makes me appreciate even more what Jürgen did. To manage an institution like Liverpool for so long and have that amount of pressure on your shoulders.
“As a player, you’re pissed off with him when you’re not playing but you don’t think about all the decisions he’s got to make and the other 24 people he has to look after. I know I played an important role in Jürgen’s reign and I’m very proud of that. I wasn’t the best player over his time, but I was Jürgen’s guy at one point.
“I was his man and it was the same with Gareth Southgate when he first came in with England. I took responsibility to try and pass on their philosophy to the group. I take a lot of pleasure in saying that now about Jürgen. Maybe my body suffered a little bit and, physically, I wasn’t the strongest. Maybe I wasn’t built for that heavy-metal football full-time, but I wouldn’t change my experiences for the world.”
Lallana is just five years older than the 32-year-old Still and he is enjoying working under the former Reims and Lens coach who has been entrusted with reviving Southampton’s fortunes. They hit it off straight away during a couple of hours of talks and the manager’s youth should not be mistaken for inexperience.
“He was just extremely warming to me: you can come here, you can learn, if there are bits you want to do, there’s nothing you wouldn’t be able to do and if you’ve got an idea, try it,” Lallana says.
“It is nerve-racking when you go from being a player to a coach. It is completely different, but the minute we had that conversation I knew I wanted to work for him and do my apprenticeship under him and support him. If there is anything I can give to Will, his staff and his players, I would love that.”
Fine by me. I assume Nyoni is competing with Endo for the DCM slot?
Fixed
He's a bit rubbish, alright, but he's no Lawrenson. He's no Carra either, of course, but he's not too anti-us, whenever I've watched him (which is as little as possible).
He's pessimistic, cynical and a little OTT critical, so shall we say a 'glass half empty' type of guy as far as Liverpool are concerned?
If only there was somewhere where we could find the correct spelling - even at hand so to speak.
Speak for yourself.
Have a feeling that none of the players who started and played 90 mins against Everton will start this game.
So my line up would be:
Mamar-vili
Frimps
Leoni
Gomez
Robbo
Endo
Jones
Wirtz - subbed after 60-ish mins
Church
Isak - subbed after 60-ish mins
Rio
Subs:
Woodman
Bradders
Nyoni
Danns
Macca - break glass in case of emergency
Ekitike - break glass in case of emergency
Gakkers - break glass in case of emergency
+ Kids like Morrison, Gordon etc
Wirtz starts imo because he was benched in the last game and he needs to build up his confidence.
I know I wanted Macca to start, but I think it's better to have him on the bench just in case, we're gonna need him on the pitch against Palace.
So my line up would be:
Mamar-vili
Frimps
Leoni
Gomez
Robbo
Endo
Jones
Wirtz - subbed after 60-ish mins
Church
Isak - subbed after 60-ish mins
Rio
Subs:
Woodman
Bradders
Nyoni
Danns
Macca - break glass in case of emergency
Ekitike - break glass in case of emergency
Gakkers - break glass in case of emergency
+ Kids like Morrison, Gordon etc
Wirtz starts imo because he was benched in the last game and he needs to build up his confidence.
I know I wanted Macca to start, but I think it's better to have him on the bench just in case, we're gonna need him on the pitch against Palace.
I would rather see Nyoni in the midfield than Wirtz. Jones can play the 10 role, if Nyoni can't. Wirtz can come on later, if needed.
In an ideal world, yes, but I feel we need to show a little respect to our opponents. We underestimated Plymouth last season and got punished for it.
Nyoni is a talented kid, but playing in midfield against a Championship opponent isn’t an easy task, as was evident from his performance against Plymouth, a game he started. I’d be very surprised if Slot starts him again.
Think of it this way, over the weekend we’ll most likely see a Gravy, Macca, and Szobo midfield, leaving one spot open on the left for either Wirtz or Gakpo. The latter started and played 60 minutes against Everton, which is why I think Wirtz starts this one, and Slot will then decide who gets the nod on the left in London on Saturday.
Wirtz will start vs Palace.
I can’t see Wirtz in contention for a starting place today. Out of the main squad you will only see those who need games under their belts. Robbo, Frimpong and Isak. The rest will be those who make up the bench. Endo, Jones, Gomez etc.
I think wirtz has to play. He's clearly not up to speed yet, and a championship side should hopefully give him a chance for a confidence boost. Can see it being a weird midfield of Endo, Macca and Wirtz.
Mama
Frimmers
Gomez
Leoni
Robbo
Endo
Macca
Wirtz
Gakpo
Isak
Chiesa
Strong, a chance to build a rapport with players who are still finding fitness, with the option for Jones, nyoni and Rio to come off the bench
What is this “emergency” you speak of!? It’s Saints at home.
No way I see Macca or Gakpo making an appearance. Macca has clearly been struggling with something and would be an unnecessary risk. Gakpo has already played a lot of minutes and will be rightly rested.
I think the point should be, that it doesn't matter if we lose and go out. We shouldn't be breaking any glass, just prepping for the next game. If players need game time, fine, and if we happen to win, then great, but we don't need to win this one.
We don't need to win it, but it's good to still be in it for the fringe players and the kids.
With Macca is that he's carrying something, or he's not match fit? Slot has been quite open in saying everyone is fit and available for selection, yet he's still struggling.
Gakpo, fair point, but he's not exactly on song either, so more minutes wouldn't be a bad idea. And our depth is pretty much Rio. I don't think he'll start Rio.
Our depth for LW is probably our strongest position now - with Gakpo, Rio, Wirtz, Ekitike and Isak all having played there (and enjoy playing there) - and recently too.
Rio is the only one on that list that’ll be a possibility on the left tonight and I think will start.
- Status
