Joe Allen [Sold]

[I, Ravel Morrison]

Aye, agree with the last few posts. It's a toss up between Coutinho and Sterling for the final place in the starting eleven at the head of the diamond, depending on form and opposition.

[Mostar]

Allen vs Man Utd



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wwuz_0tdb5Y"]Allen - YouTube[/ame]

[Shaggy]

http://talksport.com/football/rodgers-hails-ps15m-midfielder-one-pls-best-he-right-14032184409#oURbIxIoH5bEXgLi.99

Rodgers hails £15m midfielder as one PL’s best

Brendan Rodgers’ appreciation of Joe Allen is nothing new, with the Liverpool boss having made a concerted effort to land his former Swansea charge upon arriving at Anfield in 2012, but there may be some truth in his latest comments on the Welsh international.

"I believe he is one of the top Premier League talents," Rodgers commented, in light of Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United last weekend.

It’s no secret that Allen’s debut season on Merseyside was very up and down, with injury and his team's struggles leading to an inconsistent start to life at Anfield for the 24-year-old.

This season initially looked like being similar, as he started the campaign nursing a thigh injury, but following his return to the first team, Allen has shown a dramatic improvement.

Rodgers highlighted the way Allen presses the ball as one of his strengths and that certainly rings true when looking at how he has progressed over the past 12 months.

Last season Allen recorded just 54 tackles in 27 league appearances, winning only 65 per cent of his challenges. This season has seen a drastic improvement in that aspect of his game, with the Welshman having already made 43 challenges in only 16 matches, winning 88 per cent.

A large part of this is down to the way he is deployed this year, playing as part of a central midfield pair which operates ahead of a single pivot. That has allowed Allen to act as a conduit in building up attacks, while also being the first line of defence when the ball is lost.

This position has also allowed the former Swansea City man more freedom in which to operate, something that he is clearly relishing. Against Manchester United, Allen was utilised as more of a left-midfielder, but was able to flex his defensive attributes in containing Juan Mata and then Adnan Januzaj, while also helping to burst forward.

Getting forward has been a more frequent sight for the 24-year-old this year, and he has seen some joy in doing so, recording 19 dribbles (74 per cent of which were successful), compared to 16 (69 per cent) from last season.

One area that continues to be a criticism is his lack of goals. While this tends to be a more general assumption that midfielders need to find the net, Brendan Rodgers has challenged that pointing to other facets of Allen’s game which negate the need for goals.

Indeed his ball retention and passing statistics (recording 508 passes, completing 87 per cent) remains a strong aspect of his game, and his ability going forward is improving as well (seven attempts on goal this season, with a shooting accuracy of 57 per cent, compared to five last season, failing to hit the target).

Ultimately, while it is subjective as to whether Allen is truly one of the Premier League’s best young talents, there can be no denying his improvement over the past year.

Since returning from injury, he has put together a strong run of form which makes it difficult for Brendan Rodgers to overlook him, and although he may not be the most glamorous of Premier League stars, by continuing in this vein, Joe Allen could yet become one of Liverpool’s most important players going forward.

[baitman]

that 'bigup' from brendan will certainly put him in the shop window

4' 2" and made of milk

[Norbs]

Allen vs Man Utd



Allen - YouTube

Cheers Mos

He was fantastic, especially his defensive duties

[Vermilion]

There's a little Gaaareth in there just bursting to get out!

[Mostar]

Cheers Mos

He was fantastic, especially his defensive duties

No problem Norbs

He does so many little things that just don't captured in any videos.

His pressing and ball interception is very, very good.

[Fredo]

that 'bigup' from brendan will certainly put him in the shop window

4' 2" and made of milk

He's certainly not 4'2".

[baitman]

dog poo.

did little to justify the love for him. very frustrating to see him often taking a pass, returning the ball and then running away. he has an amazing ability to hide when the game isnt going our way. he was often seen to be standing in between sunderland players, neither marking or closing down, just hanging around.offers no attacking threat whatsoever, i dont like him. he really is made of milk.

[Fierce]

Isn't it weird how incorrect people can be when looking at the exact same thing.
It's not like being asked a question and getting it wrong because you don't know the answer; it's given a completely incorrect point of view to something tangible that you can actually see

Weird!

[Tee]

Not his biggest fan but he has certainly won my respect over the past few months. There is clearly vast improvement in his game and whilst he may not set the world alight there seems to be a solid little tidy player there. Every machine needs these kind of reliable cogs!

[Fredo]

He keeps our play ticking. 1, 2 touches. He's an important part of our system. I would seriously doubt someone's knowledge of the game if Allen is viewed as 'dog poo'.

[danperkins]

His performances have improved a bit of late but he was poor (wasn't alone) vs Sunderland. IMO we'll buy better than him in the summer and he will just be a squad player.... which is fine i suppose.

[Fredo]

What do you mean by poor? His job is to allow us to keep possession and we've improved on that front since he's been in the team. He's not the type of player who'll dribble past 3 players and stick it in the net. He's got his role and he does it well. There might be better players in his position but they'll cost a lot money. Allen is still young and will improve once he gets more games and confidence.

[Chris]

Played well again last night. Good lad.