Allen: Liverpool better without Luis Suarez

Liverpool F.C. midfielder Joe Allen claims the club have improved following the summer exit of star man Luis Suarez.

Suarez, 28, left Anfield for the Camp Nou in a deal reportedly worth €94 million last summer, but has failed to live up to his 2013/14 form during a disappointing debut campaign in Spain.

Meanwhile, Liverpool, despite a sub-par start to the 2014/15 campaign, are within two points of bitter rivals Manchester United, who are currently sitting in fourth-place in the English Premier League table.

Thanks in large part to Suarez’s 31 league goals, the Reds finished as runners-up in the Premier League last term; nonetheless, Allen believes the club have improved without the Uruguayan hit-man.

“At the start of the season we talked about how losing Suarez was going to have an affect but now we have overcome that,” Allen said.

“It took us a little bit of time because the injury problems we had were not ideal. We are certainly back up to that level now and, if anything with the different system we play this season, we might even have taken a step forward.

“We have a more clinical edge now than we did at the start of the season. That’s grown with our momentum and picking up points – it tends to happen that way. We would have wished it was earlier than it has been, but we’ve still got plenty of time left this season to really go on and achieve things.”

Koeman: LVG instills fear in team

Southampton F.C. boss Ronald Koeman has hinted compatriot Louis van Gaal’s managing style may be hurting Manchester United.

After losing 2-1 at Swansea, United are now just one point clear of Southampton and two points clear of Liverpool in the race for a top-four place, and Koeman believes the problem may be Van Gaal’s coaching style.

“When you bring Van Gaal in the house, you bring in quality,” Koeman said.

“But you also bring in someone who thinks he knows everything. And that will cause clashes. There is a big difference between him and me as managers. I was his assistant at Barcelona after the World Cup in 1998. I learned a lot of things from him.

“But the way he handles his players is totally different from the way I work. I don’t put as much pressure on the shoulder of players. When you have Van Gaal in charge, it is a fact that there is fear in his team. The players have a fear for mister Van Gaal. That is not always good.”