He isn't good enough.
We've had these crushes on players over the years, and they're what have held us back. We think too much with our heart. We like an underdog.
We need better than Joe Allen, as a starter. He just isn't good enough to take us where we want to go. Can and Henderson haven't been up to much lately, and he still can't get into the team, despite going through his purple patch.
Also, our midfield in general is a long way off what it needs to be, so of course he's going to look less out of his depth when he does perform.
Decent squad player, but not anything more.