Lallana ready to write next chapter

On September 19, 2009, the midfielder was lining up for Southampton in a third-tier showdown with Yeovil Town at St Mary's.

Played in front of a crowd of just under 20,000, the Saints secured their first win of the season courtesy of two Rickie Lambert goals as they looked to set about gaining an instant return to the Championship following relegation.

Ultimately, Southampton would miss out on promotion come the end of term, though in 56 appearances, the burgeoning talents of Lallana were beginning to gather mounting recognition.

Still, few - if any - would have predicted way back on that September afternoon the direction in which the St Albans-born playmaker's future was heading.

Five years on, Lallana is able to reflect on a career path that has taken him to the Premier League, World Cup finals and now the Champions League, as well, of course, as Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool.

Nevertheless, the now 26-year-old has little time for contemplation. There are new challenges to tackle, big games to be won and trophies to compete for in this new exciting chapter of his.

"Sometimes, but I'm here now and I'm focused on doing better and taking it to the next step," Lallana pondered when asked by Liverpoolfc.com at Melwood if he ever has to pinch himself from time to time.

"I'm always trying to get better. I'm training day in, day out with world-class players, so it's great for me to continue my learning process, keep working hard and trying to get even better.

"It's just so exciting. Five years ago I was playing in League One with Southampton. We gradually progressed up the leagues, but I never thought I'd be competing in the Champions League.

"Just looking at the fixtures now...going to the Bernabeu, having Madrid here at Anfield, there's going to be a cracking atmosphere. We feel confident we can get results."

It's not all been plain sailing for Lallana - not least when a knee injury sustained in Boston back in July curtailed the start of his Liverpool career.

A six-week spell on the Melwood treatment table meant Anfield's new No.20 wasn't handed his maiden appearance for the club until last weekend's 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa.

The 61 minutes of playing time accrued against the Midlanders was topped up with a further 67 against Ludogorets Razgrad on Tuesday.

Every minute has its benefits as Lallana searches for the kind of match sharpness that saw him named in last season's Premier League Team of the Year.

"Fitness-wise I feel great, but I still feel I'm getting there sharpness-wise," he said. "It feels great to be out there again because I'd not played a game for two or three months. It's where I want to be - I want to be back playing, not sat on the treatment table.

"It's a great feeling and I'm sure with the amount of games we've got coming up, the more minutes I get on the pitch, the better I'll feel and the better the performances I'll be putting in

"It's going really well for me. It was difficult to start off with, picking up the injury meant I was out for six weeks and missed pre-season. That was disappointing because you always want to have an impact straight away and I was brought to the club to play football, but ultimately I couldn't do that to start off with

"It was disappointing and hard to miss the first couple of games of the season and watch on, but I've worked hard, got myself fit and I'm reaping the rewards now with being back playing

"As a footballer there's no better feeling."

Lallana may have only been a Red for fewer than 10 weeks, but he's quickly come to realise that there's something unique about this particular football club

'An eye-opener' is how he succinctly surmises it, in fact

"It is different," he considers. "The expectation is different and just playing for such a fantastic club with more supporters worldwide, you get that feeling here. It's an awesome feeling and it's something I can't wait to experience more of.

"Ever since I experienced the pre-season tour of America, straight away it was an eye-opener and you realise how many fans there are - not just locally here in Liverpool, but worldwide - turning up at the hotels and packing out the stadiums for the matches out there.

"It's remarkable and something I'm honoured to be part of. I just can't wait for the journey to progress and hopefully win trophies with the club."

So, now fully recovered from injury, edging closer to match fitness, debuts in the Premier League and Champions League under his belt, what's next for Lallana as Liverpool prepare to continue their marathon run of games into the Autumn, and indeed beyond?

"The target is to play as many games as possible, get as fit as possible and get back to my best, playing well and winning in a Liverpool shirt," he states.

"We've got some big games coming up - big league matches, a big match against Basel...they're coming thick and fast.

"That's a difference I've noticed as well; when you're in the Champions League, there's just one big game after another. It's great, it's what you want as a footballer performing at the elite level.

"It's what you want to be doing - you want to be playing with the best players because you'll have a greater chance of winning games and trophies.

"We've got a few new faces, but we've got some great young talent here and I think it's going to be exciting for the club in the future."