--- title: "Lying In Wait" canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/articles/lying-in-wait/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Tristan Noel" section: "Articles" published: "2013-02-06T20:19:41Z" modified: "2013-08-23T23:14:56Z" --- # Lying In Wait Unnecessary. Waste of money. Too lightweight. Too safe.  What do these words and phrases all have in common? They have all been thrown about like mashed potatoes in a cafeteria food fight. Who have they been directed at? None other than Liverpool’s #24, Joe Allen. Many view the midfielder as an unnecessary signing, given the other midfielders available and the recent form of one Jordan Henderson. Whilst the gift of hindsight is a handy thing to have, being able to look a step forwards and anticipate is also key. Is Steven Gerrard going to be around forever? Will Rodgers continue to play a 2-1 system? The football pitch is a grand stage, and every player has his role. Joe is simply waiting to fulfill his. Joe Allen cost Liverpool £15m in a summer move from Swansea. Joe is not a defensive midfielder (although he is capable of playing the role), he’s not an attacking midfielder. He’s what you would call a metronome, a ‘number 6’ in the Barcelona 4-3-3. In order for the classic metronome role to be fulfilled, a 1-2 in midfield has to be played. When Lucas returned from injury, Brendan finally had all of the pieces he needed to complete his traditional 4-3-3 in Lucas, Allen, and Gerrard. What wasn’t anticipated was Gerrard inability to adapt to the 4-3-3. The legs aren’t quite there for the Liverpool captain anymore, which are needed to play in a 1-2. The skipper was also having issues with his positioning, and as a result, Rodgers was left in a bit of a bother. Drop Joe Allen to keep a 2-1 system allowing his skipper to thrive, or drop Steven Gerrard in order to allow Joe Allen to thrive. Let’s be honest, that was only ever going to play out one way. Credit has to be given to Rodgers as well. Many fans clamored for Gerrard to be pushed into the #10 role behind the likes of Suarez where he was so dangerous in previous seasons, but Rodgers decided to keep him in the more reserved role. It’s seen Gerrard equal his best assist tally in a single season with 13 games left on the fixture list, and less ground to cover may well have played a big part in Gerrard’s great injury free streak where he’s played every single minute of every Premier League game thus far. With Steven Gerrard back to his best it is easy for any Liverpool supporter to get stuck in the present. Long range efforts against Norwich and Manchester City saw Gerrard roll back the years, raising the hairs on the necks of supporters as if it was 2005. Tell you what, supporters can’t afford to be nearsighted. What happens when Gerrard goes? Liverpool’s options in central midfield (if more haven’t been added) become Lucas, Henderson, Allen, Shelvey, and potentially Coutinho. Ideally Rodgers will most likely want to move to the 1-2 rather than a 2-1 in midfield as shown by his early experimentation and interviews where he spoke of flipping the triangle, so that means Liverpool have to fill all 3 of the necessary 1-2 midfield roles: A defensive midfielder, a metronome, and a more creative mobile midfielder. All three roles MUST be fulfilled in order for the 1-2 to be successful. That’s where Lucas, Allen, Henderson come in. You have to optimize your output using the players you have. Lucas is the obvious and only real choice at the moment for that defensive midfield position, Henderson is more mobile than Shelvey, and there isn’t anyone in the current Liverpool squad that understands or executes that metronome or ‘number 6’ role as well as Allen does and as a result, the player from Wales in my opinion has a big part to play. Liverpool are currently playing in a system which doesn’t really use the traditional #6. It uses one destroyer (defensive midfielder), a regista (deep-lying playmaker), and a trequartista (number 10). None of these roles match the definition of Joe Allen. He can put on the mask of a destroyer but he’s only an understudy to that role. Rodgers has his hands forced, as he can’t afford to change the system that has Steven Gerrard firing on all cylinders. What Liverpool fans have to realize is that they may not see the absolute best of Joe Allen until Gerrard is no longer a permanent fixture in the starting XI. In fact, it’s my belief that this is exactly the case. The metronome role isn’t a glamorous one. It takes a keen eye for detail in order to be fully appreciated and applauded. It’s often branded as too safe, and boring, but it’s necessary to allow the other players to shine and do their jobs more effectively. It shifts the opposition side to side, draws them out, which opens up gaps for other players to exploit. So, Joe Allen is neither unnecessary, a waste of money, too lightweight, or too safe. In the grand scheme of the Rodgers plan which is built for the future, not just the present, he’s a necessary piece of the puzzle that is the complex 1-2 midfield. Liverpool fans have to be patient, and remember there’s more to think about than the now of it all. Joe Allen will know this, and that’s why he’ll be biding his time, lying in wait.