Liverpool's Adam Lallana eyes trophy and Champions League place

Adam Lallana says winning a trophy and returning to the top four are Liverpool’s goals for the new season.

After coming within two points of their first league title since 1990 two seasons ago, Liverpool endured a disappointing campaign last year and finished sixth, eight points off the Champions League places.

Having sold Raheem Sterling to Manchester City for £49m, manager Brendan Rodgers has bought seven players during the transfer window so far and Liverpool began their season with a narrow 1-0 away win at Stoke courtesy of a stunning late Philippe Coutinho goal.

And Lallana, beginning his second season at Anfield, says the expectancy that comes with playing for Liverpool means the side have to set their sights high for 2015/16.

“That’s one of the things I’ve learnt to deal with and am still learning - the pressure that comes with playing for Liverpool,” he told Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday ahead of Liverpool’s first home game of the season against Bournemouth live on Monday Night Football.

“It’s a good pressure to be playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world and with all the great history that Liverpool has.

“The aim for all of us this year is to win a trophy and try to get back in the top four. I feel we’ve got the starting foundation of that with a good squad and good competition for places."

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Liverpool returned to the Champions League for the first time in four years last season, although won only one of their six games, and Lallana added: “We’d love to get back in the top four. We had a taste of it last year and unfortunately we got knocked out in the group stages, so we want to be back in there.

“We feel we’ve got a good squad to compete.”

Liverpool’s winning start to the new season at Stoke was all the more noteworthy given they had suffered an embarrassing 6-1 reverse at the Britannia Stadium in May.

”Stoke’s always a difficult place to go - any team will tell you that - and any team in the top four, five will see Stoke away as one of the toughest games in the fixture list,” Lallana said.

“So to go there and get three points was a massive start for us and I’m sure it will feed a lot of confidence through the group.”

Although England international Lallana began his professional career at Southampton, he was previously part of south-coast neighbours Bournemouth’s academy and briefly returned to the the Cherries on a one-month loan in October 2007.

He is relishing the newly-promoted side’s visit to Anfield on Monday night.

“I’m from Bournemouth, that’s where my family home is,” he said.

“We played them last season in the cup and they’ve got a great little set-up down there. To think they’ve marched through the leagues in the last three or four years is a great credit to the football club, especially Eddie Howe. So I’m looking forward to the game for a number of reasons.”

Watch Liverpool’s game against Bournemouth live on Monday Night Football. Coverage begins at 7pm on Sky Sports 1 HD. Not a subscriber? Get a Sky Sports pass from NOW TV.