Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen has praised Brendan Rodgers for turning the Reds season around, after what he described as a 'shocking' start to the season, reports Sky Sports.

Allen is set to return to former club Swansea on Monday night, having recently delivered arguably the finest performance of his Liverpool career in the recent 2-1 win over Manchester City.

The Reds are the form team in the Premier League at present, having won nine of their last 12, without losing a match since December 14.

Brendan Rodgers side now sit just two points outside the Champions League places, with the manager having played a key part in the revival with the switch to a bold 3-4-3 formation.

And Allen believes his boss deserves credit for making the brave decision that has revived the Reds season, after a dreadful start to the campaign which saw them sitting four points above the relegation zone in early November.

“The manager took quite a big risk in changing the system so drastically,” said Allen. “We needed something new and some sort of change and that has been one of the biggest things.

“We knew there would be a tough spell at some point. Losing a player like (Luis) Suarez and having someone like (Daniel) Sturridge out injured for so long was going to have an effect. How long it lasted was probably what shocked everyone and us.

“A lot of people have forgotten how young we are and the beauty of our squad is we have hit form now and a lot of the players are getting better and developing.

“If we can keep this group of players together, keep working hard then it will be an exciting future. We have good characters, people that want to work hard and get better and players that have ambitions. It is a good blend to have.”