Adam Lallana didn’t deserve his swan song
Adam Lallana bade Liverpool farewell long before the restart.
Yesterday, Liverpool ended their 30-year wait to lift the Premier League trophy. There were no fans present to celebrate, but the players made up for it, enthusiastically revelling in their success as if Anfield were filled to capacity.
Yet while most post-match reaction rightly centered on Liverpool’s achievement, there was plenty of talk about Adam Lallana’s absence on the pitch.
This was undoubtedly his final game at Anfield in a Liverpool kit after all. Why didn’t Jurgen Klopp give him one last runout?
After Project Restart was finalized, Klopp was quick to announce that Lallana would be signing a short-term contract extension. Presumably, he wanted to keep Lallana around to help with rotation, to ease tired legs after a long absence from competitive matches.
"“This is absolutely how it should be, too, because I am so pleased he will be with us to finish the job this season and have the farewell he deserves so much.”"
Lallana, who’d only made 15 appearances (12 as a substitute) in the Premier League prior to the restart, was positioned to help Liverpool get over the line, right?
No. He hasn’t been used once since play resumed and he won’t be used in the final game either. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. The puzzlement over his lack of inclusion has been born out of nostalgia, not from reality.
While Klopp has said all the right things about Lallana and the critical role he plays in the team, he has also respected Lallana’s desire to move on and hasn’t wanted to hinder his move to a new club this summer.
Perhaps Klopp intended to use him after Project Restart was initially announced. But he made it clear in early July that Lallana wouldn’t feature on the pitch.
For a player who has spent the two previous seasons injured, this makes sense. Regardless of his desire to play, why risk being forced into early retirement to waste a few seconds at the end of a match?
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As badly as the supporters would have liked to see him get out on the pitch for old time’s sake, the best way to honor his legacy with the club is to allow him to move on. Besides, he already gave us the most fitting farewell we could ask for—in the 85th minute at Old Trafford.