Joe Allen: Forgotten man? (Pic: David Rawcliffe / Propaganda)
WITH the sun beaming on a hot August day in 2012, the future looked bright as Brendan Rodgers took charge of his first Premier League game as Liverpool manager against West Bromwich Albion, writes MATT KENNY.
Much of the pre-season talk had focused on how quickly Rodgers would implement his now infamous ‘philosophy’ based on possession, pressing and penetration – facets that he’d built his reputation on at Swansea.
Liverpool were already a team with a history of playing attractive, attacking football with a focus on keeping the ball but Rodgers appeared to be a manager with a much more rigid guideline for how he wanted his team to apply said principles. There would not be the free-flowing attacking play fans had become accustomed to in the 90s under Roy Evans; this was a manager who craved control and his signings the summer before that first season in charge reflected that.
The signing who perhaps pointed to the direction Rodgers wanted to head in was Joe Allen, the diminutive midfielder who had been so key to the Northern Irishman’s Swansea success that he referred to him as the ‘Welsh Xavi’ upon his Anfield arrival. While clearly a tongue-in-cheek comment, it was one that could have been perceived as a tag to live up to and a stick to potentially beat the £15m man with should he fail on Merseyside.
Early signs were good, however, and Allen started that game at The Hawthorns looking every bit the player fans had been led to expect; receiving the ball confidently under pressure, controlling the ball in tight areas and dictating the game as the Reds’ dominated the first half.
But a Zoltan Gera stunner and a second-half collapse meant Allen’s good work was forgotten in the aftermath of a shock 3-0 defeat, and any honeymoon period the new arrivals could have hoped for was over.
In the next few games in a red shirt Allen began to look increasingly isolated as he was forced to play in an unfamiliar deep-lying midfield role that exposed the Welshman’s physical limitations in a team struggling to adapt to a new way of playing. It was a pattern that continued as Liverpool limped towards the New Year with fortunes only really turning after the January signings of Sturridge and Coutinho.
With the new recruits came a new emphasis on pace and counter attacking, with Rodgers seemingly ditching his principles for a more direct-approach that better suited the players available to him. Liverpool looked better for it, the fans were buzzing and hope had returned; but it did leave a question of ‘where does this leave Joe Allen?’.
For all his qualities, Allen has never been heralded for his dynamism or attacking qualities and with the superb form of teammates Gerrard and Henderson contributing much to the team’s upturn in fortunes, it was tough to see a way back into the new set-up for him; particularly after injury problems.
In recent years a number of young midfielders have endured tough starts to their Anfield careers, only to come back stronger in the face of fan criticism (most notably Lucas Leiva and Jordan Henderson) and it looked as if Allen would have to tread the same path if he were to ever succeed in L4.
And having put his injury problems behind him, Allen did just that as he returned to play a key role in the ultimately unsuccessful charge towards the 2014 Premier League title. The passing ability was still there but this looked like a new Allen, one more willing to burst into the box and drive the team forward instead of being happy just ‘keeping things ticking over’.
His added energy is particularly crucial now that Gerrard’s stamina begins to fade, with the captain’s performances depending much on having workers like Allen and Henderson around him. While Gerrard’s passing remains elite level, he no longer has the ability to get up to support the attack or the pace to track midfield runners.
That means added responsibility for Allen but so far this season he’s thrived on it, particularly in the 3-0 win at White Hart Lane, and one of the biggest compliments you can give him is that is absence through injury has been painstakingly obvious during the Reds’ recent poor run.
A lot of emphasis is rightly being placed on the return of Daniel Sturridge to the starting line-up, but the impact Allen’s reintroduction could have should not be overlooked.
Intensity and control are lacking in midfield right now and with Henderson doing the running of two or even three men, Allen’s fitness can’t come soon enough.
He’s not had it easy at Liverpool, but the Welshman is finally starting to win over the doubters as fans begin to realise that, for the Reds, Allen is key.
Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda
I completely agree. Been making similar points myself.
That first season after half a dozen games we were heading out of Anfield and commented we have signed a Rolls Royce of a player there. Form and injury have held him back but the class is definitely there let’s hope he gets back and stays fit. He needs a bit more composure in front of goal and we will then have a real class midfielder in our team on a regular basis. With Allen and Studge out that last international break has hit us hard.
I think it was pre season or could have been the first few games of this season, but I remember thinking it looks like his shots have improved. Looked like he’d been told to shoot more. I’m expecting a lot more emphasis on that part of his game when he returns.
Allen key? Side bet? Is Ballotelli a spanner in the works? Was it a wrench when Suarez left? Bad result against the Hammers.
Oh come on.You can do better than that.Slow day at the office?
You’ve hit the nail on the head there
Is Allen the key?
Quite simply, the answer is an emphatic, No. Daniel Sturridge is.
Rodgers has been found out. One lucky season to his credit, not looking like turning it around. £200 million spent, back to mid table money spunkers?
You’re damn right he’s key – two or three games after his return we should be playing much better as a whole! YNWA – JFT96.
Upping the pace: a discussion. A majority of fans, journos, pundits have accepted that Gerrard needs Henderson to run for him. We have yet to see what happens when LFC regularly replace the easily-marked No.8 with another good runner. In the England team friendlies in the U.S. pre-Brazil we saw the fluidity difference between Lampard’s midfield ( quick) and Gerrard’s midfield ( slower). G has presence and is always in the ref’s ear. Is good at pens, long balls (from slower play) and free kicks. We have other good pen-takers, free kick-takers and faster play-makers without the ‘unfinished personal business’ agenda. Sorry Stevie.We can’t wait till you get an injury.
It’s like we went on an all year bender last year and are still dealing with the hangover. Balo is the cuppa your Mrs made to help you feel better, but there’s no sugar in it and it’s a bit cold and has too much milk. Mignolet is the chronic shits. Markovic is the dry mouth and nauseous feeling. Sturridge, Allen, Can and Valdes have got the goods for the fried brekky and Alka Seltzer but can’t get here just yet. It’ll be fine after a good kip. Give us a month or so.
The Key is the coach has to tactically adapt, if Liverpool is waiting on one player, Joe Allen to get their house in order , then we are in trouble.Chelsea,Arsenal,City arent waiting on (a) player why they have a system with the required players to fill any vacum.Thats calls into question who set up our system or what is the system ? I see some looking at Balotelli as the scapegoat, when in reality he is a cover like Saurez was for liverpool glaring issues.Interesting thing is they are both strikers.Anyway the two top teams have one thing in common what we lack the defensive midfield position figured out.We have undeniable truths that we have to admit before we can move forward.1st Allen isnt Alonso, 2nd Gerrad isnt a defensive midfielder.That is a whole that needs to be rectified.200 million spent and BR hasnt figured that out! We cant keep scaping goating the obvious.How can Lucas a MOM for seasons past under KD,Hodgson and coming of age under Maschi/Rafa schooling be a liability.Like everything that doesnt fit into BR whole of a system they get shipped out, case in point Reina and Agger.The truth is Gerrad dersrves 30 minutes off the bench in an atacking role, midfield,winger or forward everygame.The Other truth is Lucas needs to be our defensive holding midfielder.That said our whole system/tactical thrust has to change.I dont see BR doing it.So prepare to suffer.Lets get one thing straight, he has the quality to do it.Blaming players or hoping for (a) player to make a miracleous change to a broken system since BR came and inherited the most devastating forward in the Prem , is ridiculous,deluded.
What happens when Allen comes and its the same, or Can comes back or Sturry,that problem in the middle needs to be addressed, its tactical.
Been saying he’s the key for a long time. I’m glad I’ve found people that agree with me. As soon as he and Sturridge are back we’ll win strings of games and look dangerous again. Fluid on the ball and ferocious in pressing the opposition.