Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana feels he's "gradually" reaching his best form.
The 26-year-old has made 12 appearances for the Reds and notched one goal to date, rediscovering full match fitness after picking up a frustrating knee injury in pre-season.
"I always knew it was going to be difficult settling in, especially with the injury," he told liverpoolfc.com. "Playing for a new club the size of Liverpool and having Champions League football - you need to be tough mentally.
"I was so desperate to do well, maybe trying a bit too hard to impress, not doing things that I'd normally do, thinking about things maybe a bit too much. You can't always expect to be at your best straight away.
"When you've been away for seven or eight weeks, the pitch feels a bit different when you step back on it for the first time.
"It's a case of getting your head down, working hard and doing the things that have made you successful before to get back to a level where you can affect matches.
"Gradually, the more games I've played and the more minutes I've accumulated, my form has improved and I'm getting closer to the levels I was at last season for Southampton. There's still an improvement to be made but I'm getting there."
