On Adam Lallana

Adam Lallana is now Liverpool's third summer signing, joining his former Southampton teammate Rickie Lambert and Emre Can.

Brendan Rodgers' quotes make clear how much he wanted Lallana at Liverpool. This seems very much a Rodgers signing rather than transfer committee signing. Lallana looks an excellent fit for Rodgers' style: the focal point, fulcrum, and captain of a similar system at Southampton. He's joining players he knows well: yes, primarily Rickie Lambert, but also his England teammates Gerrard, Sturridge, Henderson, Sterling, and Johnson.

He's versatile, primarily a central attacking midfielder but also able to play on either flank, and possibly deeper in midfield against weaker sides. He's two-footed, scoring four left-footed and four right-footed goals last season (as well as one that he scrambled in with a knee on a set play). Like Coutinho (and Allen…), you could see him play as the shuttler opposite Henderson in a 4-4-2 diamond. Or at the apex. Or in any of the positions in the line of three in a 4-2-3-1. Or as either wide forward in the 4-3-3.

From WhoScored:



Some of the differentiation between positions is semantics, but WhoScored has him lining up in seven positions last season, every possible attacking position except out-and-out striker and right-sided midfielder.

And that versatility is a good thing, because Liverpool already have two similar players.



Absolutely all credit for this image idea goes to Ted Knutson of StatsBomb. Rather than bug Ted to do a comparison, I thought I'd try to make my own, with no offense meant to the originator. Ted's innovation with these radars has been superlative, and pretty much everything on StatsBomb is outstanding and I cannot recommend it enough. There are only a few categories different from the style he uses, which I thought worth highlighting.



Coutinho's a more ambitious passer, with lower accuracy but more assists, key passes, and throughballs, and is better defensively (although all three are above average). Sterling's a better shooter, scorer, and dribbler. Lallana is more of an all-rounder – good at most things, only worrisome in how often he's dispossessed and the paucity of throughballs – and is a much more accurate passer, especially in the final third. And he's reliable, appearing in all 38 matches last season, playing more than 1000 minutes more than Coutinho or Sterling last season: the former missing a handful of matches through injury, the latter still growing as a player.

Lallana is first in just two of the above categories, the two pass accuracy categories, but is second in seven of the 14. A jack of many trades, a master of few. Which is as much a compliment as an insult, if not more so. Liverpool need that sort of versatility and reliably, Liverpool need that strength in depth.

That said, Raheem Sterling is 19. Coutinho just turned 22. Adam Lallana is 26.

Lallana is the third oldest player signed by Brendan Rodgers, behind only Kolo Toure (free) and Rickie Lambert (£4m). The average age of Liverpool's 14 previous signings under Rodgers is 23.5 years old. He's a player in his prime, experienced but not old, which is something Liverpool need, but there's also not much more room for improvement.

Sterling, as a 16-year old, cost £500,000, which has probably risen to somewhere between £2-5m based on incentives. Coutinho cost £8.5m. Lallana's fee is somewhere between £23-25m. And that's a lot of money, even considering inflation thanks to the new television deal, even considering the English premium. Like, a lot of money. Only Andy Carroll cost Liverpool more (*sets self on fire*).

So there's encouraging and there's concerning.

Is he an improvement on Liverpool's attacking depth? Without a doubt. But when you're relying on Victor Moses, Iago Aspas, or Luis Alberto, that's an admittedly low bar to hurdle.

I'm not convinced he's a guaranteed starter if everyone's available, no matter his fee, especially considering how outstanding Liverpool's attack looked over the last half of the season. At that price, should he be? Probably. But if anyone's absent – and there will be one important player absent until November – Lallana can slot in almost seamlessly, no matter the absentee. That's incredibly valuable in and of itself.

Of course there are worries about the cost. But this was obviously a player than manager and club had targeted. Prior to this summer, Rodgers' Liverpool had bought six players for more than £8.5m. The jury's still out on Borini (worst case scenario: Liverpool get most if not all of the money back if he's sold), but Allen, Sturridge, Coutinho, Mignolet, and Sakho's success mean that the club has a lot more leeway with me than it used to when it comes to transfers.

How Does Your Sterling Grow?

"I said when I first came here, I won't judge people on their status or what they've done, it's about what I see now in front of me, and [Sterling's] a young player who's improved every single day since I came in here."

"He was a player who played on his own, in the one v one. You look at him now, playing for the team, his tactical understanding playing against a really experienced player. He was blocking the line of pass, he was pressing at the right time, he was coming back to block the lines inside."

– Brendan Rodgers after the Manchester City match

Passes
Sunderland: 33/35 (94%) [most accurate in the side]
Arsenal: 27/31 (87%)
City: 24/30 (80%)



Attacking Third
Sunderland: 16/16 (100%) [most accurate in the side]
Arsenal: 17/20 (85%)
City: 13/16 (81%)

Passes Received
Sunderland: 48
Arsenal: 40
City: 34



Shots
Sunderland: 2 (1 off-target, 1 blocked)
Arsenal: 1 (off-target)
City: 0

Chances Created
Sunderland: 4 [joint most created in the side]
Arsenal: 1
City: 2

Take-ons
Sunderland: 5/11 [joint most successful take-ons in the side]
Arsenal: 3/6
City: 0/1



Tackles
Sunderland: 5/5 [most successful tackles in the side]
Arsenal: 2/2
City: 1/2



Fouls Suffered
Sunderland: 7
Arsenal: 1
City: 1

Admittedly, Sunderland were weaker opposition than either City or Arsenal, even if the result doesn't necessarily show it. Regardless, that Sterling's output has improved in each successive start can't be overlooked.

Each link goes to the StatsZone chalkboard for that match, but I embedded the images for the categories I thought most relevant. His passes show he was more involved in the build-up, coming inside more often even though he was a right-footer playing on the right. Similar goes for the 'passes received' category, coming inside and deeper to make himself more available but also stretching play by getting the ball near the penalty box more often. He attempted and completed far more take-ons than in his two previous league starts, more of which took place directly outside the penalty box. And his tackles chalkboard against Sunderland is massively impressive for a winger, in his own half and the opposition's, let alone a 17-year-old winger.

Everything Noel wrote two weeks ago still applies. He is too young to start every single game without risking his future, too young to be relied upon in match after match. However, his improvement in each match has been demonstrable, important, and demonstrably important. He's gotten better in almost every statistical category from City to Arsenal to Sunderland.

He's come a long way from "There are very few players in the world who get into a Premier League team at 17, never mind a top club. [Sterling] has certainly shown qualities and we'll decide over the next few weeks whether he stays and he's involved now or if he goes for a loan period." Which was said by Rodgers in mid-July, just before Liverpool's first preseason match.

On Saturday, Sterling was Liverpool's most accurate passer, overall and in the final third, and made the most successful tackles (both Gerrard and Kelly attempted more, but each had four successful). He and Suarez each created four chances and completed five successful dribbles – the most in the Liverpool team. Sterling suffered seven fouls, four more than the second most-fouled player. And three of those seven fouls came in the last ten minutes, including Seb Larsson's yellow card – Sunderland's only yellow card of the match – evidence of the home side's increasing desperation.

It was also heartening to see him do all this on the right side of the pitch. Both he and Borini have been far better on the left in previous matches; both had struggled to replicate their better moments on the opposite flank. Until Saturday, Downing arguably had been Liverpool's most-effective right winger.

I cannot emphasize the "we can't get carried away" mantra hard enough. But I also cannot help but express my surprise and joy at Sterling's accelerated development.

It's Still Not Time to Play the Kids

So fourth place finally looks futile, unattainable for yet another year. Liverpool won't qualify for Europe's premier competition for the third-consecutive season, a millennium given the club's historical accomplishments.

However, I respectfully disagree with two very intelligent Liverpool bloggers. It's still not time to play the kids.

This season has been transitional, for better and worse. But Dalglish, Comolli, et al shouldn't give up on the plan for transition in the hopes of speeding up the development of long-term prospects such as Jonjo Shelvey, Jon Flanagan, Jack Robinson, Conor Coady, or, the most precocious, Raheem Sterling.

Thanks to Daniel Agger's recent injury, Sebastian Coates is a different case. The young Uruguayan should and will see more playing time than otherwise expected. Playing him instead of Carragher for the majority of matches from here out seems a no-brainer, regardless of events against Arsenal. But Agger's injury is what makes Coates' situation different. I'd say the same for Shelvey or Robinson if Gerrard or Enrique – Fowler forbid – suffered an extended injury. That's not the same as increasing Shelvey, Flanagan, Robinson, or Sterling's appearance total simply because the Champions League is now a lost cause.

The reasoning for this is two-fold. The first delves deep into the realm of hypothetical. Say Liverpool start Shelvey et al more often, and Liverpool's results become even more inconsistent and infuriatingly frustrating. Not only could that hinder the development of the individual players, it could hinders the club in general. In isolation, finishing 5th is little different than finishing 7th, especially with Europa League qualification assured due to the Carling Cup. But how Liverpool finish the season – with confidence, playing well or on a losing streak, questioning every and anything – matters very much. It will set the tone for both the off-season and the start of the next.

The second, slightly more tangible, is that Liverpool are already in transition. The first team still needs as much work as Liverpool's next generation. We'd hoped that wouldn't be the case after two-thirds of the campaign, but it is. The likes of Downing, Adam, and Carroll – whatever your feelings on any of them – have important parts to play for the foreseeable future, and we haven't seen any of them play to their potential, at least as it relates to overall team performance.

To take the most-controversial example. As much as you may not like it, Kenny Dalglish sees Charlie Adam as a crucial part of his team. Otherwise, Adam wouldn't have started 25 of Liverpool's 26 Premiership matches and 29 of 36 in all competitions, no matter the debilitating injuries to Gerrard and Lucas. Adam has a role for the next few years and he needs the playing time as much as, if not more than, Liverpool's prospects. He will most likely remain a divisive player for the duration of his Liverpool career, but there's still room for improvement within the context of the team. His long-range passes will find more targets as he continues to familiarize with attackers' runs, his positioning will improve as his learns how his ever-changing midfield partner (or partners) positions himself. We know what we're getting with Charlie Adam, but we still don't know how well Charlie Adam can play for Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool. And similar can be said about Downing and Carroll. Regardless of age or experience, we've seen new signings improve in their second season, even if we think we know the extent of each's capabilities.

There is a set plan for developing the likes of Coates, Shelvey, Flanagan, Robinson, Sterling, etc. The increasing unlikeliness of qualifying for the Champions League shouldn't change that plan. Use Shelvey sparingly, mostly off the bench with a start or two, if he's not going back out on loan. Involve Sterling with first-team training and away trips for acclimatization, maybe even a handful of bench appearances, but no more. Admittedly, if I had my way, almost every player mentioned above (excluding Coates and Sterling) would be out on loan for the rest of the season. But that's a different argument. And it doesn't appear to be part of the plan.

In addition, playing in the Europa League next year will benefit Liverpool's younger players more than anything, even more that a few forced first-team appearances over the remainder of this campaign. Livermore's progression at Tottenham is evidence of that.

What this boils down to is "keep on keeping on," as painful or boring as that may be. If this is truly a transitional season, stick to the plan for transition. Coates, Shelvey, Flanagan, Robinson and others are Liverpool's future, but the future isn't now yet.

On Jonjo, Sideshow Raheem, and Young England

Contingent on tomorrow's medical and negotiations, we've seen Liverpool sign two highly-rated English teenage midfielders within the last two months: Raheem Sterling and now Jonjo Shelvey. Not only was I told Liverpool were a sinking ship without money, but I thought Benitez never bought British. And yes, I'm aware I'm basking in the arrival of two youngsters whose combined fee is less than £3m, but any silver lining during a monsoon.

It wasn't long ago Liverpool were memorably missing out on the likes of Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey. Both went to Arsenal, and while both cost a good deal more (and were further along in their development) than Sterling or Shelvey, it's been far too long since Liverpool were snapping up some of Britain's best and brightest.

It's yet another sign that Liverpool are restoring from the foundation and fixing the vaunted assembly line. It sputtered to a halt under Evans and Houllier, but we're seeing it rebuilt little by little, as Ed and I discussed in March. We've seen Liverpool recruit potential talents from across the universe – the likes of Insua, Pacheco, and Nemeth, among others – but few from the UK.

Thanks to recent UEFA and Premier League regulations, "homegrown" players are utterly necessary. Any nationality counts as homegrown if trained by the club – or any English club – for three years, but an English passport removes all barriers. And buyers pay well for it, as we found out when Liverpool "chased" Walcott and Ramsey. £5m for Ramsey or the £8m Aston Villa paid for a 19-year-old Fabian Delph could make the fee for Shelvey or Sterling look like peanuts. Pity the emphasis is on "could."

There's no guarantee either player will turn out a star, let alone feature for the first team. I do think Shelvey will be in the mix next season – he's already played in the lower leagues, so there's little use in sending him on loan (as Darby, Spearing, and Eccleston currently are) – but my best, barely informed guess is that he'll mainly see time in the Cups and for the reserves. And regardless, there's no guarantee any signing will work, whether the fee is £2m or £20m (wave to the nice people, Robbie).

Shelvey is 18, costing an initial £1.7m. While he was Charlton's youngest player, debuting more than two years ago, and has made 48 appearances for the Addicks, the majority of those came in League One. Sterling is only 16, costing an initial £500,000, and has mostly played for the U-18s since his arrival. As tempting as it is to go overboard, both evoke the phrase "hope" as much as Obama (and now Nick Clegg!). But both are laden with potential, with other big clubs sniffing for their signature, and English. "God Save the Queen" singing, smog breathing, blessedly English.

Even if we're only familiar with these kids from Football Manager and FIFA 10, it's satisfying; a sign that Liverpool's competitive in this crucial market, and that King Kenny Dalglish is earning his paycheck. I doubt it's coincidence both Sterling and Shelvey will arrive the same year that Dalglish returned to head up youth development. But make no mistake, Rafa must of had his hand in this signing – Shelvey should get some first-team opportunities next season, and I doubt Liverpool would be negotiating signings, even if they're only £1.7m, if Benitez were on his way out.

Unless that's the summer transfer budget gone (can't rule anything out with the Chuckle Brothers still in control), there are few ways for Liverpool to lose on these deals.