Adam Lallana made a complete fool of himself against Borussia Dortmund during the first half of Liverpool’s second leg Europa League tie, spurning a fantastic chance to grab a goal back with an embarrassing air kick.
Liverpool badly needed a goal against Borussia Dortmund after going 2-0 down in the first nine minutes, but anyone who thought it was going to come through Adam Lallana will have been bitterly disappointed. The ball fell kindly to him in the box not far from goal, but the former Southampton man managed to kick it with his standing foot before swinging wildly at nothing but air.
The Reds weren’t actually playing all that badly in the first half, but the big difference was the world class finishing and clinical nature of their opposition. You can see in the video below just how far apart the two sides were at times, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finishing with aplomb while Lallana ended up on his backside.
Check out the embarrassing incident below:
The gulf in quality between Liverpool and Dortmund summed up in eight seconds. #LFCBVB #LFC #UEL pic.twitter.com/ugWhBa15KN
— Robert Summerscales (@robsummerscales) April 14, 2016
Lallana with some outstanding feet #LIVBVB pic.twitter.com/i1AexEQfx9
— Scott Saunders (@_scottsaunders) April 14, 2016
The 27-year-old may well currently be fighting for his spot with England this summer, as Roy Hodgson has plenty of options to choose from in his position. The Three Lions boss obviously won’t make any hasty decisions based on one moment, but this fantastic display of technique won’t exactly have done Lallana any good.
Lallana is arguably yet to even come close to paying back the £25m (via the BBC) Liverpool paid for him back in 2014, and this won’t have convinced many of his quality. He was on top form during his last season at Southampton, but regular injuries and inconsistent form have kept him from finding that same form at Liverpool.
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There were question marks before the game over Jurgen Klopp’s decision not to play Joe Allen in midfield, instead opting for an extra attacking option to try and seal the game. He may well be regretting his decision now though, and wishing he’d left Adam Lallana on the bench.