Matt Jones claims Everton ace Allan is being played out of position
Liverpool ECHO journalist Matt Jones has questioned Everton man Allan, claiming the midfielder is being played out of position.
The Brazilian has held down the role at the base of the midfield for the Toffees since arriving at the club.
Jones believes if the 31-year-old is to get back to his “belligerent” best Frank Lampard must play him elsewhere.
He said as per ECHO: “Allan has been the man tasked with shielding the Everton defensive line since Lampard took charge. It would be fair to say the results have been mixed.
“The Brazilian has thrived in the home games against Leeds United and Manchester City, when the raucous backdrop of Goodison Park seems to invigorate his off-the-ball endeavours and add an edginess to the visitors in possession. When home-team hostility and away-team hesitancy both build, Allan can be a belligerent force.
“Yet on the road, the former Napoli man has struggled to reach the same levels, like so many of his team-mates.
“Although he’s almost exclusively played as the deepest man in midfield since arriving at Everton, there’s a general acceptance that Allan is not at his best in the shielding role.”
Squad is a mess
The midfield is certainly better when Allan is a part of it, but Jones does pose some very valid issues.
He certainly can play that defensive midfield role and he often does very well there but that is likely to be more of a reflection of him as a player rather than the position itself.
The South American maestro looks his best when given a role with slightly more freedom which he is rarely afforded so sometimes he goes wandering, understandably.
Allan possesses so many great qualities as a player including tenacious pressing, great vision and passing, tackling and reading the game which is why he is played in the deeper position.
Despite his qualities being much more effective in a box-to-box role, the Toffees don’t actually have anyone who can do the job as well as he does.
That is a very worrying sign and Lampard will be desperate to fill the voids in his squad so he can play all of his key players in their rightful positions.
In other Everton news, ‘Disgusting’ – Tony Scott destroys the Everton players amid their relegation risk.
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