To link the passing and keep the ball moving in the opposition half of the field. I feel to do the role he needs to be surrounded by the right sort of players, a front three that is constantly on the move, opening up and running in to space.
Isn't that what BR is looking for? With the players we have (downing being the exception) and possible addition of Costa they can all interchange even sterling and Borini are in that mould. Maybe we will see what Rodgers sees in him when the jigsaw is more complete
Yes. Last season Allen often played behind Suso, Suarez and Sterling. Suso and Sterling just were n0t moving in to the spaces needed. Especially and around the box.
Sterling is good at picking up the space left by our forward but not so much at moving across the line of three
Why play Allen in that role when Coutinho is FAR superior at moving the ball around the opposition half AND creating chances with his vision when in that position? This is what I don't understand. We rationalise his 'role' as a ball shuffler but others are just better at it and offer more.
If Allen is the backup for Coutinho, we better hope he never gets injured then Sorry for not wanting mediocrity as the backup
Can't disagree with that. Maybe BR feels that courthino is going to be marked a lot tighter this year and that in itself would create more space for Allen for example. ****ed if I know Rodgers is paid a lot of money to get it right,lets hope he does.
Would rather have Suso available to play in the Coutinho position if needs be, but the guy needs games if he is going to push on. Guess we cant have it both ways!
I never said I agreed with it You was discussing how Allen fits into the team and my answer would be he doesn't, he's a squad player.
I'm prepared to give both Borini and Allen the benefit of the doubt, and give them another 6 months to prove people wrong. I actually like Allen, his first 6 games he was in top form and it was downhill from there. If he can start to add goals to his game I think we've found his role. I like him as an advanced midfielder, in-between Gerrard and the front men, he has close control and an eye for a pass so he could be a vital cog there. If he can carry on getting in to the positions he did yesterday then he could be a good little squad player.
The use of defensive midfielders has forced playmakers and creative players to move out wide, instead of playing in behind the striker. They are much harder to mark when they roam in off the wing. When they play centrally they get marked out of games by defensive midfielders. That's why players like Kaka, Aimar, Riquelme, Zidane etc have been replaced by players like Gotze, Mata, Silva, Iniesta, Hazard etc that play wide and roam all over rather than stay central all game. Makes them harder to mark and makes them more unpredictable.
