Liverpool forward Adam Lallana on Jurgen Klopp's aura, THAT picture and why he was sorry to see Brendan Rodgers get the sack

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It was the enduring image of Jurgen Klopp’s first game as the manager of Liverpool; a photograph that captured an exhausted Adam Lallana collapsing into the arms of the towering German after 81 minutes of ‘full throttle’ football.

Only the picture was a little misleading. ‘As I came off I went to slap his hand and he went in for the hug, so I thought I’d better lean in,’ says Lallana with a smile. ‘Because he’s so tall my head just seemed to go into his chest.’

He said he was actually feeling rather good as he walked towards his new boss. Sure, the statistics suggested he had just run himself into the ground. But he left the field exhilarated, a rush of adrenalin masking any fatigue he might have been enduring.

Adam Lallana pictured at Liverpool academy to promote Puma’s Forever Faster campaign this week

The Liverpool midfielder has been impressed with new manager Jurgen Klopp since he took charge

This was the enduring image of Klopp’s first game as the manager of Liverpool as Lallana is replaced at White Hart Lane against Tottenham last Saturday

‘I had an injury issue earlier in the season and that was probably the best I’ve felt both in a game and after a game,’ he says. ‘I saw the stats saying how we’d worked harder and so on. But from my point of view it just felt good. It felt cohesive.

‘We were fighting for each other out there, perhaps to a different degree. And, as the manager said, it laid a foundation we can build on.’

After the Tottenham game, Klopp was asked about Liverpool’s more creative players, Lallana among them. He gave them full marks for effort but suggested there was more to come in other areas. In Lallana’s case he said he hoped for a ‘20 to 30 per cent’ improvement based on what he had seen from the midfielder in the past at Southampton.

Lallana appeared to respond with a fine display against Rubin Kazan on Thursday. But presumably the 27-year-old England international was impressed that the former Borussia Dortmund boss was aware of his displays at Southampton?

‘Mauricio Pochettino used to tell us other managers in Europe were taking notice of what we were doing,’ says Lallana.

‘The new manager here has said he wants me to play more freely, like I did at Southampton. I think he was talking from a technical perspective when he made the “20 or 30 per cent” comment. Because, of course, there is room for improvement.’

Lallana discusses Liverpool, Klopp and Brendan Rodgers with Sportsmail's Matt Lawton earlier this week

Lallana says Klopp's charisma and aura were evident from the moment he met him at Melwood

Lallana faces his former club Southampton at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon

Lallana is set to line up against hid former club Southampton on Sunday afternoon

More flair and ambition? ‘I don’t want to give away his tactics and how he wants us to play, but he definitely has a clear vision and I believe there were elements of our performance [against Tottenham] that revealed that,’ he says.

‘That was the positive we took out of it. Yes, we can be better with the ball; keep the ball better. But we haven’t become bad players overnight, either. We just need to create more chances.’

Klopp has not been around long enough for anyone to form a proper opinion, but Lallana likes what he has seen so far.

‘It’s been a good first week or so; really exciting,’ he says. ‘I was eager to get back from the internationals and meet him.

‘On the Thursday morning [last week] we had a meeting. He addressed everyone and straight away he made all of us feel calm. And you warm to him immediately. He’s got charisma, a bit of an aura; he seems to be a very, very clever man.

‘He classed himself as the normal one and he’s very down to earth. He wants to work hard and do things right. He’s very hands on. He takes training. His English is excellent and he’s a very good communicator.’

So what has he changed? ‘Not too much to start with,’ says Lallana. ‘I don’t think he felt he needed to, and he only had a couple of days with us before that first game. 

Lallana describes his new manager, who announced himself as the 'normal one', as 'down to earth'

Lallana caught the eye fro Liverpool during Thursday night's disappointing 1-1 draw against Rubin Kazan

The 27-year-old (right) celebrates with goalscorer Emre Can during the Europa League clash at Anfield

‘He got across in those two days what he wanted to. But there’s a lot of stuff he still needs to take in. All these new players. New staff. You could tell in the game we were maybe playing a bit differently. He had his stamp on the team, which was what he was most happy about. But, we could have been better.’

Lallana reflects on the dismissal of Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool’s academy, where he is promoting Puma’s Forever Faster campaign, with honesty. He liked Rodgers — understandably given that the Northern Irishman signed him from Southampton — and is candid enough to admit that the players should have achieved more for him.

‘Someone has lost their job and that is always sad to see in any walk of life,’ he says. ‘It’s disappointing that we couldn’t do better for him.

‘I liked Brendan. I had huge respect for him. He brought me to the club and I enjoyed working with him. He was a hands-on coach as well. But unfortunately the decision was made and when things like that happen you have to be professional.

Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was sacked after the 1-1 draw against Everton earlier this month

Lallana, who was signed by Rodgers in 2014, was sad to see the Northern Irishman lose his job

The Ebgland international was disappointed the players could not have performed better for Rodgers

‘At the end of last season we felt we had under-achieved, definitely. There was a period when we were doing great. Confidence was high. We went on an unbeaten run, got to the semis of both cups.

‘So it became a season where we under-achieved. If you get to the semis of two competitions your target should be to get to at least one final. But we missed out.

‘We missed out on a top-four finish when at one stage we were right in the race. Losing to United at home was obviously a turning point. But that run we had was without a striker. We had Raheem [Sterling] playing up front. Maybe it was just too much. We missed our 20-goals-a-season striker, for sure. We fell away. We lost to Aston Villa in the FA Cup semis. We certainly under-performed that day.’

The new season began well. ‘I remember talking to Jordan [Henderson] and we were thinking what a great start; seven points from three games,’ he says.

‘And in the space of two games everything changed. We had a poor performance against West Ham and then United.

Lallana says there is room for him to improve technically after his workman performance against Tottenham

The former Southampton midfielder admits that Liverpool underachieved last season

After a bright start to the season in terms of results, Liverpool lost to West Ham and Manchester United - Anthony Martial scored the third goal in a 3-1 win for United of the Reds at Old Trafford

‘It just proves how quickly things can change. In the space of a couple of results, the pressure is suddenly right on.’

Rodgers was fired within hours of a 1-1 draw at Everton.

‘After the game everyone went off in different directions, to internationals and so on,’ he says. ‘And then the news broke.

‘The players got a call from Jordan. He informed everyone. I’m sure most of the lads have either spoken to Brendan or sent him a text message. He’s a good guy and he’s done well throughout his career, so I’m sure he will be back.’

Now, however, Lallana has to look forward. To his former club, Southampton, at Anfield today. To becoming more acquainted with Klopp. To ‘gegenpressing’. ‘Do you know he hasn’t used that word once with us,’ he says.

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