19 Dec 2016

Legend insists: Forget Coutinho. 'Brilliant' €28m star is Liverpool's 'best player this season'. Agree?

Who is Liverpool's current 'player of the season'?

Philippe Coutinho appears to be the prevailing choice amongst fans/ex-players, and according to Dejan Lovren, the Brazilian is not only Liverpool's top performer, he's also the 'best player' in the Premier League.

Reds legend Jan Molby has a different view, though, and in his Friday column for the Liverpool Echo, he enthused:

"Coutinho may disagree, but I think Adam Lallana has been our best player so far this season. He's gone up a gear since being moved into the No.8 role".

Lallana's improved form his season cannot be denied; he deserves credit for finally delivering the goods, and a 12 goals/assists in 15 games is a great return so far.

That said, Lallana is (IMO) merely doing exactly what an experienced, obscenely well-paid international attacker with every fitness, coaching, and nutritional advantage at his beck and call *should* be doing: influencing games, and scoring/creating goals on a regular basis. He deserves praise, but not exultation or deification.

If Lallana keeps contributing at his current rate, then he could conceivably end the season with 30+ goals/assists, and if he achieves that, he may actually usurp Coutinho as the club's 'Player of the Year', an accolade the Brazilian has won for the last two years.

Can Lallana get 30+ goals/assists in a single season? I personally don't think so. Based on his historical goals/assist stats, he is currently over-performing, and the odds are against him overperforming to that degree. You never know, though - perhaps this is Lallana's breakout year?

Better late than never...

* Lallana: €28m-rated (CIES). Hailed last week as 'brilliant' by Alan Shearer.


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