Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
LALLANA: POTTER CAN DO A KLOPP
ADAM LALLANA believes Brighton are on the road to forging the kind of winning mentality Jurgen Klopp has constructed at Liverpool.
The Seagulls’ new signing – on a three-year deal after leaving Klopp (inset, below) and Anfield as a free agent – had been chased by several clubs.
But the philosophy at the Amex Stadium under manager Graham Potter (inset, above) was key to persuading him to join up.
Lallana, 32, he revealed: “In terms of a way of playing, they want to control play and dominate possession – they are some of my strengths.
“It excites me to play like that. If you get the right mix by being successful with and without the ball, that’s a formula to do well.
“It’s a project and it takes time to build. I saw it at Liverpool where we won the league in Jurgen Klopp’s fifth year. It’s a phase-by-phase development process.
“You might not get results overnight, but if you stick to it, then you’ll be working towards something. That’s what I can sense we’re going to do at Brighton. There’s much more I can learn under the head coach. You’re never too old to learn – you can always improve.
“It’s important that, as a team, we keep showing signs of progress. That doesn’t happen overnight, which is why the head coach has done such a fantastic job in terms of making that change to the playing philosophy and keeping Brighton in the league.”
Lallana was impressed by the club’s goal of breaking into the Premier League’s top half and said: “It’s going to be difficult because the league is so competitive, but the team have top players.
“At Southampton, we went through League One and the Championship, like Brighton. Mauricio Pochettino came in and tweaked the mentality and belief. We finished eighth – and that is definitely possible at Brighton.
“The template is in place and it’s about implementing that – there is no reason why we can’t do that.”
The Seagulls completed the season in 15th place with 41 points.