Adam Lallana sends Man United blunt warning: Liverpool will beat you to top four

ADAM LALLANA is being interrogated by a group of schoolchildren, one of whom discovers his guilty secret is the very occasional "greasy burger", when another pupil strikes straight to the heart of the matter.

A question on who will finish in the top four is barely complete when the Liverpool midfielder shoots back his answer without hesitation.

"Chelsea, Man City, us and Arsenal," said Lallana, later stressing that while the names are set, the order in which they will finish is not.

Manchester United have been warned.

An opportunity for Lallana to bolster his prediction comes on Sunday when he will seek to help to overturn United's two-point cushion in the chase for a Champions League berth and take up residence in the Premier League's upper echelon.

There is the added motivation of "a bit of payback", says the England international, for the 3-0 defeat endured at Old Trafford back in December, though that is a result which stands as a reference point in Liverpool's season.

It remains the last time they lost in the top flight, 33 points have been garnered from a possible 39 since then as ominous momentum has been built, and also the day Brendan Rodgers put his indelible stamp on the campaign by deciding 3-4-3 was the way forward.

"Being honest, if you had said to me we would win 10 and draw three of our next 13 league games... if you had asked anyone from any team that, they would have snapped your hand off," said Lallana, who was supporting the PlayStation Schools Cup at Bluecoat School in Wavertree, Liverpool.

Adam Lallana says Liverpool can beat Manchester United to a Champions League spotGETTY-PH

Adam Lallana says Liverpool can beat Manchester United to a Champions League spot

"There were glimpses in that game. We lost 3-0, so it was disappointing, [but] that was probably the most chances we had created in a match up to then, so even though defensively we were open and we weren't solid, we came away thinking we could have got a draw or even won.

"That was a reflection of our confidence at that time. We were just so low as a team and afterwards it left a sour taste in your mouth."

The transformation since is not restricted only to results, but Liverpool's mindset as well.

When Rodgers' squad travelled to Swansea last Sunday ahead of Monday's fortuitous 1-0 victory, the team coach had Manchester United's win over Tottenham playing on the TV monitors.

Confidence is sky high and there is no one we feel we can't beat

Adam Lallana

Watching the returning Michael Carrick help United click through the gears might once have provoked misgivings about the task ahead, but Lallana believes any sense of apprehension will lie with the visitors.

"They will be worried about us," he said. "The rest of the league will be looking at us and the run of form we're in. It's incredible.

"And the six successive clean sheets away from home. That's been massive for us as well.

"We're so confident that we are just concentrating on ourselves, preparing ourselves, we're not worried about the opposition.

"Confidence is sky high and there is no one we feel we can't beat.

"You can over-think a lot of things when you're not playing well and worry too much about the decisions you're making whereas now, we're free as a team.

"Going out on to the pitch and being free mentally is a massive thing. We've got that in abundance and that's why we're picking up results.

Liverpool v Manchester United - Premier League Preview

"The other night against Swansea we were really poor in the first half, as poor as we have been since the Palace game [Liverpool lost 3-1 in November].

"Back then, we probably would have come in two or three-nil down, whereas now we seem to have got that grit, that determination when we're not playing well to not concede.

"We were able to come in at half-time, regroup and got the 1-0 win. It's a great sign that."

Lallana's season has, in many respects, ebbed and flowed in tandem with Liverpool's campaign. His best has been of late, yet throughout it all, he has displayed a willingness to take responsibility and to try to make the difference.

"It would have been great to come in and start on fire and all the signings to be contributing, but that is just not how it works nowadays," he said.

"We very rarely kept the same team because we weren't playing well and the manager had to keep changing and looking for that formula but it wasn't coming.

"Credit to the manager, he has found a system that suits the players and now the confidence and belief has gone sky high.

"Everyone is starting to slowly find their feet. Their own traits are coming out and they are finding themselves.

"You can see they are happy, enjoying their football and that they are settled."

United will ignore that at their peril.

• Adam Lallana was supporting PlayStation's partnership with the English Schools' FA. The football tournaments for secondary schools have attracted close to 2,000 entries and 100,000 participants to help nurture stars of the future. Visit www.playstationschoolscup.com

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