http://www.dailypost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/joe-allen-liverpool-fc-team-mates-6182298 Joe Allen is on his way back from injury and declared: âMy season starts now.â The 23-year-old has been sidelined since August when he picked up a hamstring problem in the Capital One Cup tie with Notts County. Allen, a £15m signing from Swansea City last summer, hopes to be fit in time for this Saturdayâs trip to Newcastle United. The Welsh international â who missed his national sideâs game with Macedonia on Friday â has been frustrated by the lay-off but is eager to make up for lost time in his second season at Anfield. âIâm almost there, basically,â said Allen. âThe plan is to get back into training, get a good few days leading up to the Newcastle game and hopefully Iâll be available for selection from there on. âIt has been a bit of a frustrating time â it always is when youâre injured â but Iâm finally getting there. It was the one I had in the back of my mind anyway, so it has worked out quite nicely in that sense. âI was disappointed; I thought I would get back for the Wales games but unfortunately they just came a bit soon. But it has meant that I got a bit of extra rehab leading up to that game. I have been able to get ready. âWith the timing of the injury, I hadnât really got into the swing of things. This is a fresh start of the season for me personally. It is great to come back with the team doing so well.â Allen has found it tough to miss out on Liverpoolâs excellent start to the season but says he must be thankful the injury was not more serious: âI tell myself it comes with the territory of this job, unfortunately,â he added. âThere are players who have had worse injuries than I have had and have been out longer. âThatâs the way to look at it sometimes when youâre feeling sorry for yourself â you have to remember these things. But Iâm through the tough part of it and almost there now, so Iâm really looking forward to getting my season up and running. âThe lads have been great, as usual. When youâre injured, you almost feel useless because you canât get out there and help the team. âWhen matchday comes around, youâre disappointed not to be a part of it. âBut the lads have told me to stick with it, be patient and Iâll be back soon. âIâm grateful to them for that. Itâs easy to feel sorry for yourself. Unfortunately, you can be unlucky and these things can happen. Youâve got to deal with it in the best way possible. âI think the best way to do that is to look further forward at the end product of doing all your rehab â getting back out there playing and doing what you love.â -------------------------- So this season to prove himself in my eyes, will we see his early from for us or will he be an expensive flop?
Would be good to have the early Allen back, not the more recent one though He has to be on the bench V Newc surely, returnung from injury and Lucas back as well. And we have Henderson for the middle
Glad he's back, another option in the middle and I expect him to kick on and prove his doubters wrong this year. he's not nearly as **** as some fans think imo
Yeah he is another option What is he though? He certainly isnt a dm, is he a ball mover? Or is he best behind the attack? He's the Welsh Xavi He hasnt been brill recently though but if he has been playing with a shoulder injury. Like I say, for me he has this season. He'll have to up his game for when we're in the Champions League for sure
"When you’re injured, you almost feel useless because you can’t get out there and help the team." Right, only feel useless when injured Still no idea what his role in the team is, we need a more rounded midfielder who can attack and defend, not someone who just does what i would describe as the basics - passing 10yards to a player repeatedly. Hopefully he's not rushed back into the team so we can keep gaining points.
Im willing to give Allen another try. He was fantastic before the legendary shoulder injury. He needs to stop ****ing as much so his shoulder stays fresh and I think he will prove invaluable. I'm tipping him to be good squad player this year... ... and should he be crap again... sell him.
He is able to make all those simple passes to keep pocession because he is always the first lad with his head up moving about to help out the player in pocession before him. Making yourself available eases the pressure immensely and he is great at doing this. I'll put my neck on the line and say a lot of people will be eating their words
One thing that bugs me is when a players passing abilities are questioned or praised, same goes for crossing. The reason it bugs me is because it isn't dependent on that particular player. It takes two players to make a pass or cross, otherwise it is deemed ****. If a player doesn't get into space, then the pass isn't a option. If a player doesn't provide movement in coordination to a cross, then its not a good cross. Both players have to be on the same wave length. Joe Allen is able to find a teammate most of the time. Sure, a lot of his passes are short ten yard balls that perhaps go sideways or backwards but maybe he lacks options in front of him? Maybe with Coutinho, Suarez and/or Sturridge in front of him he will be more offensive? I think it is also worth noting that Joe Allen as excellent movement of the ball (purely in an offensive sense here), he always makes his self available to receive the ball from a teammate. IMO, this is a skill that should not go unnoticed, not all players always want the ball but he does! I'm not Allen's biggest fan and he has a hell of a lot to prove at Liverpool, IMO he is not worthy of a first team position ATM. However, I don't let that get in the way of the positives he brings to the club. PS...and before someone mentions his price tag, that wasn't his fault or choice and is in the past (here comes the Carroll / £35m jibes...)
I'm not his biggest fan but I feel as if he's got a point to prove and is not nearly as bad as we make out sometimes. He hasn't been effective because he hasn't fit with the teams style bit maybe he will come back stronger. I hope he does as he hasn't ever hit back at his critics like Downing or Shelvey would.
Not convinced. But, hey, we spent so much and will probably need have to draft him in at some point during the season. We will certainly never know how good he is until he gets a regular run of games.
I think people grossly over estimate his ability to find space and pick up a pass. I remember watching him and alot of the time he was there for the second pass and it was Gerrard, Lucas or Henderson (even Skrtel or Agger) were usually the first player to get the ball from someone in a tight spot. Ball goes to one of those, then to Allen who was standing 5 yards away who then knocks it further sidewards. If you want a player who picks up the ball in danger areas to relieve pressure from a team mate in a pickle and still manages to put the ball forward, it's Lucas. Not only that, but he doesn't get knocked off it easily either. Lucas relieves the pressure and puts the ball forward, Allen creates pressure and knocks the ball sidewards or backwards. Tough selection choice. Lucas is far superior than Allen in passing and in movement. And defending. Edit: His touches V Stoke this season. [video=youtube;LsyRWkxPhn8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsyRWkxPhn8[/video] Presses high, wins the ball early, commands the middle of the pitch and plays it forward far more often than he's given credit for. Never mind the stuff not picked up which we know he does well like marking danger areas and picking up runners. 2:50 shows him brilliantly. Picks it up, plays it forward, goes into the space for the return pass and knocks it forward again. **** me if Allen does that. 3:10 another example. He constantly does this and it opens up so much space for our attacks.
I can't recall anyone saying he is better than Lucas? He wouldn't be competing for that spot either imo, it would be with Hendo who incidentally has everyones full support and all the time in the world to improve because 'he puts a shift in' even though Allen is a very hard worker himself but has been written off.
It's more that people are saying Allen is a good player who does the simple things and keeps the play moving as though it somehow rationalises his selection and warrants him being given time to improve. Lucas does does he does, but better and does more. We should flog him in the summer or January and buy a useful midfielder instead. Someone who's claim to brilliance is better than being able to do what I'd expect any half competent midfielder to do. Allen back just means less opportunities for Hendo in the long run which somewhat annoys me. Not because he 'puts a shift in', but because he's back defending then the next minute he's on the byline knocking a cross in after giving support to our RB, then he's in the middle linking up passes and after all that, trying to get on the end of a ball into the box....all whilst Super Joe sits on Lucas's toes passing it nowhere when Lucas could do that anyway, and has been doing.
The title is ours now surely?! Think we all need to let up on Allen and give him a chance. He started well for us then his form dropped then he was playing in a position that isn't suited to him and then played with an injury. Yes, he probably wasn't worth £15mil but let's at least give him a full season when fit in a fully fit in a midfield role that suits him. Only then can we really judge.
What role does suit him? Serious question. He can't play next to Lucas and he's not better than Coutinho higher up, so in the middle of the two? Sub out Gerrard?
