Allen backing young Reds squad to thrive
Joe Allen believes Liverpool will only get better as their young squad continues to gel together throughout the remainder of the season.
Allen is hoping to return to the Reds' line-up when they visit his former club Swansea City on Monday night, having recovered from a minor hip problem which kept him out of the draw against Blackburn Rovers.
Liverpool head into the match having won their last four Barclays Premier League fixtures, against Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Manchester City and Burnley.
The winning streak has been a continuation of the form which began in December thanks to a shift in formation and had carried the Reds through 12 league fixtures unbeaten.
Swansea were thrashed 4-1 at Anfield in the early days of that run - and Allen insists the Reds will be going all out to clinch another three points which can carry them closer to their goal of achieving a top-four finish.
"People forget sometimes that we're a pretty young team and squad," he told Liverpoolfc.com. "The beauty of that is that we will get better. We've shown that as the season has gone on.
"With this run of games we're going on, we're really looking forward to Monday night's game and we'll be setting our stall out to go there and pick up three points.
"We've grown massively and I think you can see the change in formation. We've taken to that really well and quickly, which is important.
"I think we seem to have that edge back, even if we're not playing the most flowing football or things aren't going 100 per cent to plan, we still look like we're going to get the result and I think that speaks volumes about how much everyone has taken things forward."
Prior to the tactical alterations implemented in mid-December, which gave the team a more solid foundation while releasing attacking talents further forward, Liverpool had struggled to find any sort of consistency.
When Crystal Palace inflicted a 3-1 defeat on the Reds in early November, it meant the side had endured four consecutive defeats in all competitions, and prompted the squad and the manager to reassess matters.
"We always knew we'd turn it around, but we wondered how long it was going to take," admitted Allen. "It did take longer than we expected, I think. Losing Luis [Suarez] in the summer and [Daniel] Sturridge being out for so long as well and the change we had.
"We always knew there'd be a little bit of a rocky patch, but we didn't expect it to go on so long. We put expectation on ourselves because we think we're good enough to go on runs like this. With the players we've got, and the confidence we're playing with, I think it's a case of long may it continue."
Prior to missing out during the draw against Rovers at Anfield a week ago, Allen had racked up six consecutive starts for the side and had earned plaudits for a string of impressive displays.
The Wales international was at his best in the victory over Manchester City, when he was a thorn in the side of the opposition's midfield and was equally effective when distributing the ball forward to help instigate Liverpool attacks.
"I'm not someone who's overawed by what you'd class as big games," reflected Allen. "There's three points up for grabs in every game - that's something I've always told myself.
"Of course, at times you're taking points off rivals around you in the table. So, from that point of view, there is maybe that added pressure or added incentive to really push for the win.
"I prepare the same and go out with the same mentality wherever I'm playing. The only thing that matters to me is to help the team win."