Monday 31 October 2016 19:01, UK
Joe Allen is relishing the more advanced role that has seen him become an unlikely goalscoring hero since his switch to Stoke City this season.
The Welshman had traditionally been a more defensive-minded player during his time at previous clubs Swansea and Liverpool, but he has already netted four times in nine Premier League appearances for the Potters - as many as he managed in four years at Anfield.
Allen, 26, who faces former club Swansea on Monday Night Football, told Sky Sports that Mark Hughes' decision to move him into a No 10 role is the primary reason behind his new prowess.
"I think the biggest change has been the position," said Allen. "Obviously things seem to have fallen my way as well but I've been given a much more advanced role here, which means I'm getting myself into more goal-scoring positions.
"We've also got players in this team with creativity, and they've been able to put a few things on a plate for me. I'm obviously not the type of player who will tower over and score headers or be a handful for centre-halves, but there are different ways of picking up goals and they're the type [I've been scoring] recently.
"The way the team has been set up provides a platform for the likes of me, with Marko Arnautovic and Xherdan Shaqiri roaming on the left and right, and that ability to interchange has been one of the reasons it's worked."
Stoke failed to win any of their first seven Premier League games of the season, but their recent upturn in form has also seen a dramatic improvement from the likes of Arnautovic and Shaqiri - the latter of whom scored a stunning brace in the 2-0 win over Hull last weekend.
And Allen believes that his attacking midfield partners are as good as anyone else in the country on their day.
"I had the chance to work at a club like Liverpool, but in both Marko and Shaqiri, you've got players who technically are right up there," said the Welshman. "When the pair of them are hot, they're as dangerous as anyone in the league.
"It was one of the reasons I was excited to join Stoke, as I looked from the outside at the players they had and thought I could see the team doing a lot of damage as the season went on."
Ahead of Swansea's MNF visit, the midfielder admitted it can feel a bit "strange" to play against the side he was at from the age of nine until his move to Liverpool in 2012. However, he insisted that connection has never hindered his performances against them.
"It's a fixture I always look out for because they're still my team and I always want them to do really well, bar when I play against them!" he said.
"The build-up to the game is always a little strange, but as soon as I've got out there on the pitch, it's never something that's affected my emotions or how I play.
"I think it'll be a good match, and [hopefully] with the run and momentum we've built up in the last couple of weeks, it's a good chance for us to get three points."
Watch Stoke v Swansea live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm on Monday Night Football.
