Joe Allen can drive the Reds forward

The European Championships taught fans very little about the state of British football. Both England and Ireland were thoroughly outclassed by their European counterparts in almost every department, and there seemed to be a complete lack of ability to maintain possession and treat the ball as a friend.

During the summer a new regime kicked off at Anfield under the watchful eye of Brendan Rodgers. The Northern Irishman had masterminded Swansea’s remarkable run last season, and his style and approach was tipped to succeed at one of Britain’s most successful clubs.

One of his first acts as Liverpool manager was to sign 22-year old Joe Allen from his former club. The young Welsh midfielder had earned rave reviews during Swansea’s debut Premier League season, and had clearly been identified as integral to Rodgers’ plans.

Having not seen much of Allen last season, it has been interesting to observe the young Welshman’s start to the season at Liverpool. He is a rare commodity in the Premier League; young, comfortable in possession and of British descent. Rodgers had spoken openly of his admiration for the young man following his signing, and even though Liverpool have struggled at the start of the season, he has looked very impressive.

One criticism leveled at him though is that he is doing all this work too deep; he needs to be playing these quick and accurate passes another 10 yards further up the pitch where he can open sides up. He does not have the passing range of Xabi Alonso for instance, but clearly spots the correct pass earlier than most.

At the moment, he is playing too many passes to his back four and more importantly when facing his own goal. However, with Lucas Leiva injured it seems that both Allen and Steven Gerrard have been deployed in a deeper position than they would be playing if the Brazilian was fit.

This is surely not the first time a youngster with a good eye for a pass has been played deeper than he should be. Another famous example of this in recent times is Xavi Hernandez, who was played as a defensive midfielder for Barcelona during his early years, and even considered moving to another club to be able to play in a more advanced role. Finally, after many years of frustration, he was moved into a position further forward and the rest, as they say, is history.

There, of course, is no guarantee that Allen is at a similar level. What he has shown though is that he is capable of dictating the tempo of the game and maintaining possession, which is a rarity in a British player. Once the Liverpool side get used to Rodgers’ style of play, it would not be surprising to see Allen and Lucas used in tandem to drive the side forward.

For now though, Allen must develop and hone his skills in a more defensive position. What he now needs to show is the ability to create more and also push slightly further up the pitch.

If he can do that, then Liverpool and Wales will be looking at a quality midfielder who they can depend on for the foreseeable future.