Allen leads the way for young Reds

Brendan Rodgers’ decision to field Liverpool’s youngest side in nearly nine years showed bravery and boldness. But to do it in a clash against the reigning Premier League champions, in front of an expectant Anfield crowd and coming off a humiliating 3-0 opening day loss bordered on insanity.Yet Rodgers’ young army of courageous ball players showed what they were about yesterday, and even if they didn’t get the three points that their performance deserved, they gave a glimpse into the bright future ahead.

Leading the charge was 22-year-old Joe Allen, making his Anfield debut. The Welshman proved worthy of his £15 million price tag, spraying the ball around with ease. Not many men have the ability to have so much time and space on the ball, especially against a side holding the quality of Manchester City, however Allen just seems to have that natural gift that some are just born with.He finished the game with a pass accuracy of 93.5%, the most of anyone on the pitch. This added to an incredible first half where he didn’t miss a single pass.

It wasn’t just Allen’s quality on the ball which impressed me though, his defensive work was just as good. His work rate is immense and it saw him frequently tracking back to snuff out City’s attacking moves.

On countless occasions he was nicking the ball of City’s forwards, while his impeccable understanding of the game allows him to read the play and make timely interceptions in midfield.

When Lucas went down on five minutes there was reason for concern, however Jonjo Shelvey fit into his holding midfield role seamlessly. With Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam warming the bench and Nuri Sahin waiting in the wings for his Liverpool debut, Rodgers finally has quality in depth which he can call on at any time.

17-year-old winger Raheem Sterling also whipped the Anfield crowd into a frenzy with his exciting and raw talent.

The teenager showed an abundance of maturity in his performance, and as Rodgers said in his post-match press conference, it wasn’t as if his call-up to the starting eleven wasn’t warranted.

The youngster has pace to burn and is unpredictable in his wing-play. He’s a real showman down the flank and has the potential to develop into a world class player.

In addition to the displays of Allen, Shelvey and Sterling, there were also pleasing performances from Sebastian Coates and Martin Kelly. With all of those aforementioned names being under 22 years of age, there are positive signs for the future as Brendan Rodgers seeks to build on his young and exciting brigade of talent.