Klopp Admits He made A Mistake, This Liverpool Star Shouldn’t Be Sold!!
Dec 24, 2016 at 1:36 PM
In what will be Jurgen Klopp’s first full season in charge, Liverpool currently only find themselves behind leaders Chelsea in the Premier League table.
They’ve scored more goals (41) than any other team in the division and, despite there being a long way to go, seem almost certain to improve upon their sixth and eighth place finishes in the past two years.
Summer signings Joel Matip, Georginio Wijnaldum and Sadio Mane have all settled in incredibly well, but one man who the Reds let go in the close-season has also been drawing attention.
Mario Balotelli and Christian Benteke left Merseyside this summer and have been scoring with regularity for their new clubs respectively, but Joe Allen has been a shining light for Stoke City since joining them for £13 million.
Allen spent four years at Liverpool after starring for Swansea City, but the central midfielder failed to establish himself as a regular starter under both Brendan Rodgers and Klopp.
The “Welsh Pirlo” was named in the UEFA Euro 2016 Team of the Tournament for his brilliant displays and he’s been hugely influential since moving to the bet365 Stadium, incredibly scoring more league goals in five months than he managed in his entire Liverpool career.
Earlier this week, Stoke boss Mark Hughes expressed his genuine surprise at Liverpool allowing him to leave after his outstanding Euros, and now Klopp has accepted that his current side miss the Wales international.
Speaking ahead of his team’s Boxing Day clash against Allen’s Stoke, the German coach admitted, via Goal: “Do we miss Joe Allen? Yes. (He’s) Unbelievable, strong player.
“We all knew his quality. He’s having a big impact at Stoke. It was a common decision. It was clear after the last two years, (him) not being a fixed (starting) lineup player.”
Klopp added: “He plays a little more offensive now than what he would for us. If Liverpool sells a player, then they have to have a real impact at their next club. If you leave us, okay, then show us what you’ve learned.”
Well, Allen definitely seems to have learned from Klopp’s attacking brand of football, having bagged five goals in 16 games for his new club in the Premier League so far.
Once described as the “Welsh Xavi” by his former manager Rodgers, the 26-year-old is a tenacious, hard-working midfield man who is neat and tidy on the ball and good enough to pull the strings at the highest level.
However, Hughes has deployed him in a slightly advanced central role this season and he’s responded by adding goals to his already impressive range of attributes
Allen’s performances have kept talents like Bojan, Wilfried Bony and even Xherdan Shaqiri on the bench in some games over the past few weeks and he is benefitting hugely from being given an extended run in a team.