A dried adhesive coating is manufactured by steps of: a) providing a composition comprising a solution of a polymer, wherein at least 1 wt % of said polymer based on the molecular weight Mw are catechol groups, and wherein the concentration of said polymer in said composition is from 0.1 to 250 mg/ml, b) adjusting the pH of the composition to a value from about ó to about 7, either (i) before applying the composition to the surface to be coated or (ii) after applying the composition to the surface to be coated, c) applying the composition to the surface to be coated to obtain an adhesive coating on at least a part of the surface, and d) drying the coating.