After a disappointing start to the season, Brendan Rodgers was sacked and replaced by Jurgen Klopp in October. His arrival led to a change of style and an uptick in fortunes as the club went on to reach the finals of the Capital One Cup and the Europa League before finishing eighth in the Premier League. Klopp led Liverpool into two finals in his six months as manager with a team that he inherited and that just indicates what he can achieve with his own players and his own plans. They were brilliant in the Europa League, where they outclassed teams like Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund. However the final summed up their season brilliantly as they excellent in the first half and shambles in the second.
Losing the Europa League final against Sevilla was a devastating way to end the season, but there are still plenty of reasons to feel very positive about the future. Klopp will get a full pre-season in this time to try and test different tactics and formations. Liverpool’s new signings Sadio Mane, Joel Matip, Marko Grujic and Loris Karius have all reported at the reds’ training base. However One or two more additions are expected in the next two months. There have been reports recently linking Joe Allen with a move to Manchester United.
There were doubts regarding Allen’s future at Anfield when the season ended but after a brilliant Euros for Wales in their fairytale run in the competition, the perception about him seems to have changed amongst the fans. He arrived in 2012 as Brendan Rodgers’ marquee signing for £15 million but failed live up everyone’s expectations which also resulted in severe criticism from the fans. Although there are still chances that he might leave this summer, it doesn’t make sense to sell him to Manchester United. The Red Devils are Liverpool’s direct rivals for Champions League qualification and selling a player of such quality might just come back to haunt them.
Having seen Van Persie lift United to the title, after moving from the Emirates, showed how dangerous it is selling your star players to your direct rivals. There is no doubting that Klopp has brought out the best in Allen. He fit in perfectly withing Klopps plans and tactics of defending from the front. Though he didn’t make many appearances in the starting XI, he became an impact sub and influenced many games with his crucial cameos.
Allen is brilliant at dictating the pace of the game from the centre of the pitch and has the ability to influence games in the latter stages of the game. He is a hardworking player who contributes significantly in his defensive duties. Jurgen Klopp has spoken fondly of Joe Allen on numerous occasions since taking over at Anfield and it might not be a wise decision to cut the Welsh midfielder loose right now, especially to a Premier League rival.