Molby: Allen has Barca mentality
Jan Molby has hailed Joe Allen's 'Barcelona-like' passing technique.
Molby knows all about aggressive, possession football - the Great Dane was one of the pivotal cogs in some of the finest passing sides Liverpool has ever produced.
And he explained why Allen's positional work, after releasing the ball, is the particular aspect of his game that marks the Welshman out as a truly gifted modern-day playmaker.
"In the modern game you've got to have great technique to be able to move the ball away from the opposition at all times," Molby told Liverpoolfc.com. "If we take the Arsenal game, we saw two midfield players who dominated the ball all the time. One of those was Allen, the other was Santi Cazorla.
"They are modern-type midfield players. But what Allen does above anything else, and it's Barcelona-like, is he moves the ball so quickly.
"At no stage does he indulge himself and think, 'I'll do a little bit for myself'. With Joe it's always about doing his bit for the team."
Molby elaborated on this point by explaining how a player's part in a forward move does not simply end once he has distributed the ball to a teammate.
Rather, the player in question should then use his positional sense to manoeuvre himself into a position where he is an outlet to the man on the ball.
And Allen plays this role to perfection, according to Molby.
"With Joe it's about moving the ball to the next player as quickly as he can and then always making himself available," he said. "A bit like Alonso when he was here: if you play somebody a pass, you never leave them in trouble.
"You always make sure that you are there to help them out and Allen does that. And it's a very rare breed of players who can do this.
"Some people might think it's the easiest thing in the world to do, but it's not. You have to be a very intelligent footballer to be able to know where to be at all times."
Allen's style and commitment has endeared him to Kopites throughout the early stages of his Anfield career. Industrious performances against Manchester City and Hearts were followed up with an impressive display as the Reds went down 2-0 to Arsenal.
"He's been our best player," said Molby. "But it's important to remember he's still a young player and it's been a massive step up for him. I know he played in the Premier League last year but the first year is the season everyone says is the easiest one; when players are full of enthusiasm and adrenaline.
"But for him to change clubs and come into a club like Liverpool and basically take the midfield by the scruff of the neck is very impressive."
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