Topic: Joe Allen

[Fitzy.]

Aye I'm with you. Have a feeling we might even nick all 3, Spurs are due a bit of misfortune.

Indeed, their points tally doesn't reflect their play this season. Essentially they have stumbled to a number of scrappy wins.

[lfcmaster]

fancy joe to score tommorow

[Solomon Grundy]

fancy joe to score tommorow

Wouldn't that just be brilliant for the lad. After what happened at Everton.

[Anywhichwayicant]

Could actually be very important tomorrow. Should use his nippiness to outshine the cumbersomeness of Spurs.

[-Daws-]

Could actually be very important tomorrow. Should use his nippiness to outshine the cumbersomeness of Spurs.

Yep. The battle in midifield between our agile technicians and their athletic powerhouses should be pretty interesting, vast contrasts in playing style through the middle.

[brownie 09]

Has Allen and Lucas played together before? Struggling to think if they have.

[IanZG]

Has Allen and Lucas played together before? Struggling to think if they have.

Against Zenit at home last season, we played really well until Allen got substituted for Jonjo around 60 minutes in...

[NGreat]

Has Allen and Lucas played together before? Struggling to think if they have.

They played together against West Brom, Southampton, West Ham, Aston Villa, Zenit and Wigan last season.

[PhaseOfPlay]

Against Zenit at home last season, we played really well until Allen got substituted for Jonjo around 60 minutes in...

That's right. We actually pressed forward and dominated a lot of that game, if I remember right. Against a similarly athletic midfield too - with the added danger of a beast of a forward. Still galls me that a night like that wasn't rewarded with the one extra goal we needed to go through.

Actually, that game might hold the key to how we can play against Spurs - Henderson as the left attacking mid doubling back to help whoever the left back is; Coutinho and Allen ahead of Lucas, with Allen doubling back to screen the defence, and Sterling wide right and pushed in a bit to help Suarez.

[brownie 09]

Against Zenit at home last season, we played really well until Allen got substituted for Jonjo around 60 minutes in...

oo ye, good memory. I've got a feeling we will keep hold of the ball a lot better tomorrow then we have this season.  So is it right in saying tomorrow will probably be how Rodgers would set up if he didn't have Gerrard? Lucas (Briton) Allen (Allen) coutinho (sigurdson)?

[Xanderzone]

We need a big performance from him tomorrow, up against a talented and strong Spurs midfield. He's been showing signs in the past couple of games of the form he showed in his first couple of months here and we're certainly going to need that from him.

Could be a game that defines his Liverpool career.

[GrkStav]

That's right. We actually pressed forward and dominated a lot of that game, if I remember right. Against a similarly athletic midfield too - with the added danger of a beast of a forward. Still galls me that a night like that wasn't rewarded with the one extra goal we needed to go through.

Actually, that game might hold the key to how we can play against Spurs - Henderson as the left attacking mid doubling back to help whoever the left back is; Coutinho and Allen ahead of Lucas, with Allen doubling back to screen the defence, and Sterling wide right and pushed in a bit to help Suarez.

Yes, this, amen!

[nocturnalvin]

No. Attackers do the most sprinting.

Edit - just to add - the benefit of having him as a forward, though, is that he doesn't have defensive duties, so he could choose when to run and when not to run, without leaving us loose in midfield. But in terms of physical output, he'd still have to sprint a lot, but the sprints would be lateral, and he wouldn't have to chase players back.

Xabi might have ran the most yards but I think the thing is that it was the constant movement, concentration and the anticipation that meant that those yards were low intensity runs and not lung busting recovery runs. You watch Stevie and he makes a lung busting high intensity sprint to support our attack and then can't get back whereas Xabi was just perpetual motion with small adjustments in position.

You look at athletes and boxers what they lose in explosiveness they tend to gain in strength and stamina which means they go up in distance and weight respectively. Gerrard playing deeper means he doesn't need to be as explosive but it also means he has to change his mindset and to an extent rely less on his instincts and more on his concentration.   

Someone with the pace of an Alonso has to learn how to sense danger and to be always in the optimum position. Is that something you can just tack onto a players career when his power starts to diminish.

Thanks mates.

As for Allen, i've always been a wee bit concerned about his lack of physique. I know there are players of similar physiques who had/are doing well even in the middle of the park, so its probably illogical on my part. Still that physical presence and dynamism is what i think still lacks in our midfield.

[Fordy]

Needs to step up now and show he is a decent player.

Don't care if he is the king of Sky sport sideways pass stats. Needs to show that he can create and score goals.

[Mali1]

Needs to step up now and show he is a decent player.

Don't care if he is the king of Sky sport sideways pass stats. Needs to show that he can create and score goals.

If I have to choose the priority for Joe, I'd rather see him boss the match

[Halcyon Lissome]

He'll do both!

[MrLil8]

Needs to step up now and show he is a decent player.

Don't care if he is the king of Sky sport sideways pass stats. Needs to show that he can create and score goals.

No he doesn't, in his role, the one the manager gives him... he dictates, he controls. 

Those sideways passes, at times are probably a little too educated for some fans.

The age old gung-ho "supporter".

[elpistolero7]

Henderson was our standout midfielder today, but I thought Allen was magnificent as well. Controlled, so clever with the ball and pressed like a madman. That's the Joe Allen we signed. Stepped up like Hendo today. Proud of these 2 boys. Brilliant midfield performance.

[ganson]

Henderson was our standout midfielder today, but I thought Allen was magnificent as well. Controlled, so clever with the ball and pressed like a madman. That's the Joe Allen we signed. Stepped up like Hendo today. Proud of these 2 boys. Brilliant midfield performance.

+1

[Halcyon Lissome]

Great game defensively, but was anonymous in terms of passing for about 80 minutes of that match. Would've guessed the converse would've happened if anything.

[Melbred]

Midfield as a whole stepped up.

Allen was magnificent. Fantastic response since the Everton game.

[farawayred]

Great game defensively, but was anonymous in terms of passing for about 80 minutes of that match. Would've guessed the converse would've happened if anything.

Really? I thought he was very good, almost getting to his best from last year.

[LFCTikiTaka]

Brilliant performance from Allen. The balance in midfield with Lucas-Allen-Henderson is what we've been missing all season.

[MrLil8]

Best midfield performance over all, for a long long time.

Allen and Hendo were magnificent in every aspect of their game today.

Cant speak highly enough of how well they played.

[Djimi Smicer34]

Stepped up when we needed him to and looked every inch a Liverpool player.  He's been superb since he got back into the team.

[Halcyon Lissome]

Really? I thought he was very good, almost getting to his best from last year.

Until about the 80th minute he had 27 passes...which in a game like this (10 men and we're raping them) is pretty poor. He made almost as many passes in that final 10-15 minutes that he made in the whole match.

But, still, a very good performance. Defensively a beast.

[Lastrador]

I tought he was immense on the first half and pretty good on the second. Lovely to see him play like this again, such a fine footballer.

[elpistolero7]

Great game defensively, but was anonymous in terms of passing for about 80 minutes of that match. Would've guessed the converse would've happened if anything.

Surely sarcasm?

[DanA]

8 tackles
2 interceptions
90% pass accuracy

Absolutely immense game for a DM

[Motty]

Did what Allen does best which is keeping the momentum going.
Still think with more games meaning him being more confident/settled here that he will become even more important for us.

[SpartanTree. No deccies or lights.]

Henderson was our standout midfielder today, but I thought Allen was magnificent as well. Controlled, so clever with the ball and pressed like a madman. That's the Joe Allen we signed. Stepped up like Hendo today. Proud of these 2 boys. Brilliant midfield performance.

This.
Was brilliant today !

[Macedonian Red Reborn]

He looked like a £15 million player today.

Long may it continue.

[lorenzo23]

Allen Well Well Well

[Danny_]

Did very well today except for one loose pass that left Spurs break and could have cost us against a better attack.  It will be interesting to see what happens when Gerrard comes back if our midfield continues to dominate like they did today. 

[SlowRap]

 

[Halcyon Lissome]

Surely sarcasm?

Huh, why?

[Melbred]

Huh, why?

Because he was boss and played his role pretty close to perfection.

[IanZG]

He's shite, should be sold at the first opportunity

[Halcyon Lissome]

Because he was boss and played his role pretty close to perfection.

Well, defensively yes. As I said, the critique was isolated to his passing. We'd lost our way until the red card. They had 62% possession and had pulled it back to 48-52 overall.

I think PoP has the in game stats, he'll corroborate what I said about the bulk of his passing coming until very late.

[Draex]

Great game defensively, but was anonymous in terms of passing for about 80 minutes of that match. Would've guessed the converse would've happened if anything.

Anonymous because he wasn't pinging 40 yard balls all game? you really don't understand Allen if you think he was anonymous.

8/9 tackles won, 2 interceptions, 90% pass completion - fucking immense like the rest of the midfield today.