Allen relishing Suarez v Williams

Friday, 23 November 2012, 10:10
3 mins read

But speaking to the Western Mail/Walesonlineย the midfielder admits his greater concern will be looking which way to turn in the Liberty Stadium tunnel. Allen returns to Swansea City this weekend, the club where he walked in as a nine-year-old and left as Walesโ€™ most expensive player.

It will be an experience he expects to be strange โ€“ โ€œforeignโ€ to use his own term โ€“ as he tries to focus on performing in the red of Liverpool and forgetting the memories in the white of his boyhood favourites.

As it happens, much of the spotlight surrounding his โ€“ and Brendan Rodgersโ€™ โ€“ first trip back has been taken up by the meeting of Williams and Suarez following theย brutally honest assessment of the Uruguayan in the defenderโ€™s book My Premier League Diary.

Allen was himself cited by Williams in the recently published tome as giving Suarez a piece of his mind after last yearโ€™s goalless draw at Anfield.

Some 12 months on and the 22-year-old is now an impressed team-mate of the Premier Leagueโ€™s top scorer, intrigued at the impending tussle between the pair and wondering what walking out an opponent at the Liberty will be like.

โ€œPlayers are always different when theyโ€™re opponents to when theyโ€™re on your side,โ€ says Allen (pictured right), speaking of Suarez but something he will experience himself this weekend.

โ€œI know both and it will be a fascinating match-up to look out for on Sunday, Iโ€™m sure.

โ€œAsh and Luis are two top players and it will be a great test for both of them.

โ€œLuis is an unbelievable player whoโ€™s in top form at the moment and a superb player to have in your team.

โ€œYouโ€™d certainly rather play with him than against him because, in the form heโ€™s in, he gives no defence an easy time.

โ€œYou only have to look at the number and quality of goals heโ€™s scored this year to see that.

โ€œAnd everyone knows how good a player Ash is so it will be an interesting match-up just like it will be an interesting game.โ€

Given the events of the summer where Rodgers left the Liberty and then proceeded to pay ยฃ15m to take Allen with him, this was always a fixture to intrigue. But Liverpoolโ€™s unbeaten league run of seven and Swanseaโ€™s impressive form make it a match to catch the interest on its own.

And Allen admits heโ€™ll be putting his own personal attachment aside, even if it all will take a bit of getting used to.

โ€œIโ€™m looking forward to it; I had so many good years at the club it would be hard not to,โ€ said the Wales playmaker.

โ€œIt will be strange, a bit foreign, but ultimately itโ€™s a match Iโ€™m looking forward to.

โ€œThereโ€™ll be things like remembering not to turn into the home dressing room that might make me think twice, but I have to focus on my performanceย really.

โ€œWhat the occasion means to me or the gaffer (Rodgers) is a bit of an irrelevance โ€“ it has to be business as usual.

โ€œOf course, youโ€™re going to be wondering what kind of reception there might be but, as a professional, itโ€™s your job to deal with things like that and keep the focus on the game in front of you.

โ€œIt will be a very strange experience for me on Sunday but in terms of performing, it wonโ€™t be different from any other game for me.โ€

If there is any anxiety about the crowd, Allen should remember the โ€˜one Joey Allenโ€™ chant aimed at him from the away fans in Swanseaโ€™s recent 3-1 cup triumph at Anfield, one he described as a fantastic gesture.

Whether supporters will remain so kind if Liverpool get on top this weekend remains to be seen for both the midfielder and the boss in the dugout.

Allen admits focus on Merseyside has not yet fully turned to the Liberty clash, Liverpool involved in Europa League action last night although several senior men โ€“ including Allen and Suarez โ€“ were rested with Swansea in mind.

But the Pembrokeshire product conceded he will not have to give any trainingย ground tips about his former club such was the way they underlined their ability in that Anfield victory a month ago.

โ€œEveryone could see for themselves what Swansea are about from that cup game,โ€ he said.

โ€œIt was a tough game from both mine and the clubโ€™s point of view and the league games gives us a chance for us to put that result straight in some ways.

โ€œBut there can be no surprise what to expect down there.

โ€œAny new manager will mean some subtle changes to the way they play.

โ€œBut ultimately they are a team who move and keep the ball very well in keeping with the philosophy thatโ€™s been spoken about at the club and that will probably remain.โ€

โ€œThe result at Newcastle didnโ€™t surprise me at all and they will be all full of belief going into this one.

โ€œThe way theyโ€™ve performed in the last month means their confidence will be sky high at a bad time for us.

โ€œBut we go there on a good run of form ourselves and on the back of a solid home win, so Iโ€™m sure itโ€™s going to be a great game

 

 

Images courtesy of Getty Images, Athena Picture Agency and Swansea City Football Club.

League Table

Next Up

Next Up

League Table

Last 6 Results

Latest from Blog

Swans TV: Goal of the Month | November 2024-25

. . . For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SWANSPLAYER Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SwanseaCityFC Follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/swansofficial Follow us on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/swansofficial Swansea City Association Football Club is a…

Swansea City await FA Cup fate

The Swans will this evening find out who they will face in the third round of the FA Cup when the draw is made at around 7pm on BBC 2 and BBC iPlayer. The third round draw was traditionally one of the most eagerly looked at dates in the calendar…

Swans TV: Swansea City v Portsmouth | The Full Match

. . .watch all of the action from the Swans' Championship clash against Portsmouth at the Swansea.com Stadium. For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SWANSPLAYER Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SwanseaCityFC Follow us…

Swans TV: Swansea City v Portsmouth | Highlights

. . .watch some of the key moments from the Swans' Championship clash against Portsmouth at the Swansea.com Stadium. For more information, as well as all the latest Swansea City AFC news, log onto the club's official website at http://www.swanseacity.com Subscribe on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SWANSPLAYER Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SwanseaCityFC Follow…