Hot Streak: Klopp deserves credit for evolution of in-form Allen

There are a few in-form marksmen in the Premier League right now, but only one player has managed to score in each of his last three appearances. Having been targeted for somewhat harsh criticism at times during his time at Liverpool, Joe Allen is proving any doubters wrong with a purple patch in front of goal for both club and country, though it would be fair to suggest he has been doing so for a prolonged period now.

In following Brendan Rodgers to Anfield from Swansea for an eye-catching fee, few judged the midfielder on his merits, suggesting that Rodgers had a blinkered view of Allen’s ability - not helped when labelling him ‘the Welsh Xavi’ in the cringeworthy Channel 5 documentary Being: Liverpool. The player was never likely to set the world alight for the Reds, although you might think otherwise given his current form of 4 goals in three games - as many as he managed in 91 league appearances at Liverpool - especially given Rodgers was clearly of the opinion that the Wales international was best suited to a role in retaining simple possession from a deep-lying position.

The Ulsterman was sacked just over a year ago, and it’s fair to say he failed to get the best from a player he rated so highly. Allen subsequently became the butt of jokes upon Jurgen Klopp’s appointment, with neutrals highlighting the midfielder as a sub-standard part of Liverpool’s side, with memes aplenty mocking the fact that the German would be working with players 'like Allen' when he was used to Marco Reus et al.

The Reds fanbase were certainly unconvinced of Allen’s input to the side during his time on Merseyside, though never questioning his work rate and commitment. Allen was simply perceived as a completely average Premier League player, one not befitting of the Liverpool shirt.

While the Welshman would struggle to make his mark under Klopp at first - as most expected - with injuries restricting his opportunities, the new Liverpool boss certainly didn’t underestimate the former Swansea man. Indeed, it’s Klopp that deserves recognition for really beginning to get the best out of Allen, who enjoyed a run of form earlier this year that had convinced many - with the Reds boss seemingly among them - that the 26-year old still had a part to play at the club.

Speaking at the beginning of February, when it was suggested an in-form Allen was merely a fringe player Klopp was quick to refute the claim. "For me, Joe Allen was always a first-team player. He was not in the line-up a few times, that's true, but if I can go a few months back, when I came here he was with the national team, before that he was injured, he was not 100 per cent fit, but there was no doubt about quality.”

Allen, after all, is the sort of midfielder that Klopp admires, capable of getting about the field and implementing the German’s pressing demands. ”I like his style, he's very important for us” Klopp continued. He reiterated as much in May when reports surfaced that Allen could be in line for a return to Swansea, with just one year remaining on his contract.

It’s true that Klopp had noticed something in Allen that Rodgers had not, or at least had chosen to overlook. While Mark Hughes is now taking the credit, and deservedly so, for getting the best out of Allen in a more advanced position, it was the Liverpool boss that first encouraged the midfielder to get further up the pitch. Allen began to show a knack of picking up good goalscoring positions only for his finishing to let him down, which is the obvious area of improvement.

It’s certainly true that the midfielder is playing far closer to the opposition box than his own at Stoke, but it’s also the case that Allen was heading in that direction under Klopp. The stats back that up.

Click to view Joe Allen's full career stats in the Premier League

Allen was winning possession in the midfield third more often last season than at any other in the Premier League (every 14.9 minutes) but he was regaining possession in the defensive third the least often in his top-flight career (every 34.8 minutes). Klopp was deploying the midfielder in a starting position further upfield than his predecessor and his figure for minutes per successful pass in the final third was up at 7.2 in Klopp’s first season from 8.9 in Rodgers’ last at Anfield.

Moreover, Allen averaged a shot twice as often last season (every 60.9 minutes) as the campaign previous, with that figure under Klopp even more frequent than at the start of this first season with Stoke (62.3). His chance creation stats are at a high this time out, with a key pass every 56.6 minutes, but that too is not far from his average of 60.9 in 2015/16.

However it’s the frequency of passes in his own half that best highlights the fact that Allen is now operating far closer to goal. He’s only completing a pass every 6.8 minutes in that regard this season, which is well up from last (4.9) and a massive increase from his debut campaign at Liverpool (2.8), when Rodgers utilised Allen in a deep role.

Indeed, Allen is now attempting 73.5% of his passes in the opposition half, which compared to the 48.1% in his first season at Anfield highlights a complete regeneration of his role.

He recently told the Stoke Sentinel, “It's something I pride myself on, being able to play a few different positions, so whatever is asked of me I just want to get out on the pitch and do it.” Nevertheless, it’s clear that this new deployment in an advanced role is getting the best from Allen at club level, even if he excelled in his more traditional position shielding the back four to earn a place in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament for Euro 2016.

His role in Wales’ success in France certainly made some re-evaluate their preconceived judgments on Joe Allen’s ability but Klopp, for one, never doubted his quality. “I like the guy and I really think he is a wonderful football player: I knew this before the European Championships, I saw it during the Euros and I know it now.”

While the decision may have been taken from a financial standpoint as far as Liverpool are concerned, recouping £13m for a player whose contract was running down and was desperate to play more regularly, Klopp would no doubt have found a role for Allen at Anfield had he stayed. The German certainly deserves credit for beginning a trend that has culminated in the Welsh international thriving in his new role and surroundings at Stoke.

Is Joe Allen performing above expectations or only now realising his potential at Stoke? Let us know in the comments below