Adam Lallana Praises Continued Brilliance of Brazilian Teammate

On Wednesday, Adam Lallana continued his impressive campaign with two goals and an assist in a 3-0 blowout of Middlesbrough.

Once criticized for his lack of end product, the midfielder has now tallied six goals and six assists this season. That has him on track to set personal bests in both categories since joining Liverpool in 2014.

But Lallana was quick to praise his teammates after the win over Middlesbrough for the way they stepped up without creative spark Philippe Coutinho in the squad. In particular, he noted that Roberto Firmino did an excellent job going forward.

“Any team is going to miss Philippe – he is one of the best players in the world,” Lallana said (via The Echo). “But Roberto Firmino, one of my favourite players, was brilliant, putting the team first and sacrificing things that he likes to do when he plays in another position. The team comes first all the time. I thought he was brilliant again.”

Though Lallana acknowledged the Reds are still figuring out how to create chances without Coutinho, he feels they made an important stride this week.

“The manager wants fluidity throughout the team,” Lallana said. “When you’ve got Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum making selfless runs, Firmino, Divock, Jordan Henderson and myself – it is very fluid.”

He added: “We’re still learning and we’re learning to play without Philippe. But the sooner we can have him back, the better.”