Thiago is probably the closest we could come to directly replacing Lallana - in that he's a very experienced, very technical player who plays on the half turn and can control the tempo of a game................ and he's always bloody injured!
Lallana leaves a gap. It's not just 'age' or 'experience', it's a winning mentality.
I really want us to go for it in the cups this season, a lot is down to luck of the draw (just one home tie would be nice!), but in the later stages you need a few who have been there before.