http://thebibtheorists.com/2013/10/17/joe-allen-the-man-to-take-back-control/ [HR][/HR] âIn the final third of the pitch, it was hard to argue with the fact that we were outstanding â the movement, the combination play to arrive in thereâ¦â Brendan Rodgers said after Liverpoolâs 3-1 win over Crystal Palace. âBut,â he added. âWeâve still got a lot of work to do behind that because the lack of control in the game was disappointing.â The Liverpool managerâs desire for control of the ball, and of the match, is something he made very clear from the day he arrived on Merseyside and with the teamâs inability to facilitate that on the pitch so far this season, Rodgers could be set to turn to one of the players he first brought to the club to solve the problem. Joe Allen made a fantastic start to last season, his first in a Red shirt, and talk that Liverpool had overpaid to bring him in from Swansea soon disappeared. The issue was that when a shoulder injury, at the time unknown to the fans, started to get progressively worse, so did his form. By the time the chronic shoulder problem curtailed his season in March, large sections of Liverpool supporters seemed to have chosen to forget his excellent start and had written him off as a waste of £15m. Now, with a midfield pairing of Steven Gerrard and Lucas Leiva clearly not working and the manager voicing his displeasure at the failure to adequately command the match against Palace, despite Jordan Henderson replacing the suspended Lucas in central midfield, a fit-again Joe Allen may be the man asked to help Liverpool take control in the middle of the pitch. The Wales international showed more than enough in the opening weeks of last season to suggest he is capable of doing the job likely to be asked of him, albeit it in a different system. On the ball Allenâs qualities are clear. His passing is crisp and precise and during pre-season he began to show his full range as well as his ability to pick a pass in the final third. His link up play and knowing when to keep things simple is something Liverpool have been missing this season too. Another key quality of the former Swansea midfielder is that he always makes himself available to receive the ball. He is able to find little pockets of space, providing an option for his team-mates and is also comfortable taking the ball under pressure â backing himself to be able to either hold off his man or pop off a pass to a nearby team-mate. The Reds no. 24 is also adept when it comes to dribbling; he has relatively quick feet and can drive forward well when the opportunity arises â an aspect of his game that is often overlooked. So too is his capacity to shield the ball when opponents are snapping at his feet. It is easy to assume, looking at his slight frame, that Allen can be pushed off the ball and bullied. When you look back to his early games for Liverpool and his time at Swansea though, it becomes apparent very quickly that that is not the case. Indeed, his Anfield debut against Manchester City saw him go head to head with the likes of Yaya Toure and Nigel de Jong. Allen was superb. His tenacity was evident from the off and on more than one occasion he managed to ease Toure, a man almost twice his size, off the ball to win possession. It is true that as last season wore on, there was less and less evidence of this side of the 23-year-oldâs game. It may not have been at the time, but surely now the reason is obvious? It is believed he started the feel the effects of his shoulder injury in early November and by the time he went for surgery the slightest of contact would have broken it, Rodgers revealed. It is little wonder then that Allen was less able to protect the ball or be as aggressive in his attempts to win back possession as he was earlier in the season. Indeed, with a successful surgery out of the way, pre-season saw Allen turn in a number of encouraging displays both in central midfield and in a slightly more advanced role. Since then a slight knock has limited Allen to only seven minutes away at Aston Villa as substitute and then a decent display in the League Cup tie with Notts County. A hamstring injury picked up in that game has ruled him out ever since. However, after another frustrating spell in the treatment room, this weekendâs trip to Newcastle could see Allen return to the squad. It may be too soon for him to start but with big games coming thick and fast from the beginning of November through until the New Year, Liverpool will be keen to get Allen back to peak condition as quickly as possible. As such, it would be no surprise to see him get some minutes at St Jamesâ Park before a possible start against West Brom. The reason being, on top of the aforementioned technical skills and game intelligence, the £15m man also offers the energy and mobility that Liverpoolâs midfield has desperately lacked with Gerrard and Lucas at its heart. He may not be at the same level as Henderson in this regard but from the reaction of Brendan Rodgers after the Palace game, it doesnât seem much of a stretch to say that he believes Allen to be the more tactical disciplined of the two and therefore, crucially, able to help provide more control. Some have argued that Liverpoolâs best midfield duo with everyone fit would now be Allen and Henderson, with Coutinho playing just ahead of them. Perhaps it would be, but for now it is something of a moot point. The captain will not be dropped and with Coutinho back, the current system doesnât allow for him, Allen and Henderson all to start. That leaves Lucas, Henderson and Allen to compete for the one remaining spot alongside the England skipper. It would be extremely harsh to drop Henderson after such a good start to the season but all round Allen looks to have the edge in terms of what his manager is looking for. Simply put, Joe Allen could be the player to help Liverpool take control once more.
I agree however when he's fully fit and in form, he can be a real asset for us (his first few months when he joined).
Jimmy, since he arrived he hasn't changed his sideways and backwards approach to passing. I don't think a shoulder operation is going to change his basic football philosophy.
allen did "ok" in preseason but that is no judge. he has got to pass and move for 90 mins to displace henderson. the simple fact for me is that unitl we go back to 4-3-3 and win the midfield area (drop moses for coutinho, play 3 real midfielders) then this is all moot. if you put allen and another guy we'd still get over run.
Disagree - during his first few months, his passing was exceptional and he was passing forward as well as sideways and backwards. Opta stats show that Allen’s figures last season that he wasn't backwards in coming forward (Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson actually passed the ball back more). He wasn’t a crab either, preferring to pass the ball sideways. Joe Allen actually passed the ball forwards more than Mikel Arteta (31% to 29%) and only fractionally less than Yaya Toure.
I agree with Jimmy, that Allen from the first month or two is exactly what we need right now. Though he definitely isn't suited to the 3-5-2 formation, but the thing is who do we drop for him? Henderson has to be in there, as does Gerrard and I certainly don't want to see Allen play DM. ---------Gerrard---------- ---Henderson----- -------------Allen--------- ?
I know you won't agree Dave but personally feel that Henderson and Allen are better suited to the style that Rodgers wants to play - two players with good energy, mobile, always on the move, always in space and can pass the ball. I agree that Lucas and Gerrard are better individuals, and neither Hendo or Allen possess the 'game changing' or matching winning ability that Gerrard can provide but these two should be able to dominate and control a game a lot better. We have Suarez, Coutinho, Sturridge to change and win games.
Some may disagree but I thought he was brilliant when he first joined LFC - his touch, control, short passing, long passing, closing down and even slide tackling were all on point. He's not your typical British player in that he knows how to use his body to shield the ball and protect it, then pass it. However, he does need to get back to that form - everything since then has not been good enough. Again, this is a hard choice but I would drop Gerrard and play Allen. Allen is far better suited to the role of a Regista whereas Gerrard should be playing further up. But Henderson's energy is desperately needed and without it, would leave Allen and the defence exposed. I think we need to utilise Gerrard more effectively - we should take the risk and rest him in certain games and give him 30 mins so we can see that energy, aggression and drive. I rather see Gerrard in more attacking positions, attacking at full pelt for 30 mins, then playing at 60-75% for 90 mins.
The current formation may well suit Joe but with Coutinho coming back he will find his option limited. He's a good player imo and once available I think he'll fit in well.
If he regains his August/September form he'll be a great addition. Remember that he looked quality even when the team was awful.
The sooner we **** the three centre back system off, the better! Ignoring everything BR has said about SAS and Ford, I'd go 4231 / 433 and line-up like this: Migs Johnson - Toure - Sakho - Enrique Henderson - Lucas Gerrard Suarez - - - - - - - - - Coutinho Sturridge
Jimmy, stats are what they are - interpret them as you will. But in my mind those forward passes were not greatly effective ( ie didn't become assists) and were surrounded by a morass of backwards and sideways passes.
[video=youtube_share;P8LG_mMOT6s]http://youtu.be/P8LG_mMOT6s[/video] Don't normally like watching these compilations as they can make players like Downing look like Garrincha but notice some of his forward passes. I do hope the lad can regain his form.
The man giving control to the team is Coutinho and its been telling in his absence that we haven't controlled games in the same manner. Coutinho's vision and execution force the opposition just a half step back to try to reduce the options in fromt of him. It was noticable that on Saturday we struggled to control the game even when the barcodes were down to 10. Moses can't play a No10 role and the introduction of Luis Alberto gae us more control over the game. Alberto seems to have the composure of a more experienced player (at least when he isn't seeing a bit of glory). In the absence of Coutinho, he should have been given more oppportunities but I think it would be wrong to allow Allen to queuejump on the basis of seniority alone ( I understand we don't get to see training, so don't know how everyone is performing in training), but I think Luis should get the nod on the basis of his performances and being the man in possession of the shirt.
Think he played well before he got injured again. He was more advanced and got into some good positions in the box. He still has a lot to prove.
Compilations are useless unless it shows all their touches during one game imo. Even Downing looked unbeatable if you pulled off his one good moment in every game. I'd rather have Lucas in the controlling role with Hendo next to him and Gerrard infront - as Gerrez said. Far better balance and passing is no worse, if not better. Coutinho out wide but drifting in and Suarez from the other side is enough with Gerrard next to them.
Totally agree. However, whilst Allen may pass the ball his passes do not carry anything like the same level of threat for defenders. Therefore until such time as Coutinho is ready I would like to see Alberto given the role before we return to the Allen option.
