Former Liverpool star Adam Lallana has taken aim at the “keyboard warriors” who recently aimed online abuse at Nico Williams. The young Reds full-back was criticised heavily on social media after his performance against Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup back in September. Virgil van Dijk was among the Liverpool players who joined manager Jurgen Klopp in speaking to Williams after the abuse came to light. And although Lallana insists Williams will become stronger after coming through the ordeal, he believes “keyboard warriors” are now part of the world we live in.
Adam Lallana said “I came across it on my own socials that he took a bit of stick, It was such ridiculous scrutiny and opinions from these keyboard warriors. This is a young lad that is learning. Of course, you’re going to have some bad moments in games. To see a young lad coming through at a top level for a top team having to feel like he has deactivate or whatever, it’s just sad, isn’t it? You can have one average game and then all the keyboard warriors are out. He is a young boy still, so he is not going to be used to reading things like that. This is the world we live in nowadays. He’s a good lad and I’m sure he’ll be stronger for it, but it’s not something that’s needed with all the other pressures around. When I was younger, it was different. Social media wasn’t what it is now. Obviously there were camera phones and whatnot. But you weren’t getting videoed or filmed what feels like 24/7 now. The kids have got to kind of grow up so much quicker. They are 17 or 18, but they’re having to act like probably what I was doing when I was around 25 or 26. I think I was lucky that when I was coming through, that wasn’t the case because it would have just added to all the other pressures times 10.”
