Jordan Henderson began the season as Liverpool’s new captain. The man to take over the mantle from Steven Gerrard and drive Liverpool on to new heights.
He ended it as an unused substitute in the Europa League final and with big question marks over his future after starting just two more games than 35-year-old Kolo Toure and Christian Benteke across the course of the campaign.
Of course injuries played their part, but it was nonetheless a disappointing season for Henderson, who scored just two goals in 27 appearances.
However, the persistent heel problem that dogged the entirety of his season and subsequent knee injury sustained in Dortmund mean that no sensible decisions can be made on the future of the 25-year-old based solely on the past twelve months.
Football fans are notoriously fickle and the notion that Henderson has suddenly become surplus to requirements is premature beyond belief.
The midfielder’s best attributes are perfectly allied with Jurgen Klopp’s style of play. Relentless pressing? Tick. Passion and drive? Tick.
But Henderson is far more than a willing runner. During the 2014-15 season, he notched more league goals (six) and assists (nine) than our very own magician, Philippe Coutinho (five and six). That’s not to do a disservice to the Brazilian, more to emphasise just how vital a fully fit Henderson is to Liverpool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdRs2xWHrsw
While not reaching the same heights due to injury in 2015-16, Henderson still provided glimpses of what he can offer. In arguably his finest performance of the season, Klopp pitted the club captain and Emre Can against N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater at Anfield. The Leicester midfielders were the best in the land over the course of the 2015-16 season, but Henderson and Can dominated the middle of the park from start to finish, giving a prime example of what the pair can offer Liverpool next season. A perfect blend of brawn, guile and energy.
With Can seemingly nailed on to start next season as Liverpool’s deepest-lying midfielder, it frees up the spot next to the German for Henderson to do what he does best. Burst from box to box, break the line beyond the striker and play his football at pace in the final third of the pitch.
The rumours persist around more central midfielders coming to Anfield over the summer. Marko Grujic is already on his way, but to suggest that a 20-year-old with no experience of top-flight football outside Serbia will usurp the club captain is churlish. If the unthinkable were to happen and Klopp signalled to Henderson that his time at Liverpool was up, there would be a queue of managers lining up to secure his signature. His departure would leave a huge hole in our squad and immeasurably improve one of our rivals.
Henderson has fought back from the brink of defeat before. Once a makeweight in a failed deal for Clint Dempsey, he quickly established himself as a vital component in an enthralling title challenge.
There’s no doubt he’ll prove the naysayers wrong once more and don’t be surprised to see a fully fit Henderson go one step further next season and lead the Reds to glory.
Please keep hendo , he’s a good lad and a good captain. He is willing to work and he knows how to give the team stability when it’s needed most.
As I continue to say if hendo had played in Europea finals against Sevilla it would have being a whole different second half , after the Sevilla second goal Liverpool where bleeding hard & for me hendo was the man to stop the bleeding and provide stability. Keep him Liverpool
He is a donkey. Afraid to shoot and has absolutely no midfield qualities.
He tries to hard to replace Gerrard. But he is slow…cannot shoot and does not read the game well.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate henderson’s hard work & ethics on and off the pitch. But he’s been average imo from day 1.
I even now rate Milner higher as Milner gives you more flexibility than Henderson does.
As for captaincy, you don’t get the feeling the LFC players respect him enough.
I’d like to know if henderson would to get into any of the top europeean national teams, I don’t think he would. And I believe that says alot.
Overrated & overhyped by mostly english media.
I think Henderson is a system player, if my memory serves me well, Kenny tried playing him in the double pivot and he struggled. Rodgers and Klopp played him in double pivot and bar one game that’s mentioned here, I don’t think he truly bossed any games the way Can has at the end of the year. I think he has gotten a taste for the hollywood balls from Gerrard too and tries too many of them. His best games were in midfield 3 as right midfielder flanking a pivot. I would have no problem relegating Henderson to being a squad player or even selling him.
As a side note, interestingly it took Henderson’s injury for Can to play in the midfield, get confidence and really shine. To a degree Joe Allen and Milner too. Makes you wonder if Henderson is the player that doesn’t actually fit with other player skills.
Klopp plays 4-2-3-1 which hampers henderson’s biggest attribute, gunning forward. And considering the names Klopp is being linked with, i’m afraid that makes henderson surplus.
Klopp has a record of getting rid of high earning players that can’t hold a starting position in the first 11.
The arm band seems to weigh him down. He is surely going to be a vital player for the Reds next season. But for that to happen, Klopp should relieve Hendo of captaincy duties.
Milner might be better suited to be the captain.
Have you not seen him play last night for England?
Sideways/backwards passes throughout the match… in other words, typical henderson.
No sense of going forward with the ball.
How sure are we of Milner being an automatic starter every week.
Milner himself isn’t guaranteed a starting position in the 1st 11.
I trust Klopp in choosing his captain but hendo is no captain and definitely not a starter himself.
Matter of fact, I wouldn’t mind if he were to be sold while we can still cash in on him.
Hendo is the engine. He does the jobs knowbody else wants too. If you’re going to play Coutinho and Firmino in the first 11, then you need players like Henderson and Milner in the side.
You say that with such certainty.
Maybe you’re right, but who’s not at engine in the current squad of midfielders? Everyone has “upped” their game. All our midfielders are fighting for their LFC career lifeline, therefore are, adapting to Klopp’s style of play (ie: high press).
Henderson’s biggest attribute was his pressing and running at opponents to get us the ball back.
Look at Joe Allen, Can, Lallana, Firmino…etc, and tell us who’s not an engine, or not pressing high up?
He’s LFC captain and is struggling to get a game at the England level… our captain, people!! And anyone riding the “Hendo wasn’t fully fit” claim can suck a d*ck, cuz if that’s the case both him & Wilshere had not business getting picked for the 23 men squad.
I just hope we keep a hold of Joe Allen. Sadly tho, he may be playing amazingly well 3 yrs too late (What we call here a “contract year”).
Henderson is a good player, that did himself no favours by fighting through injury for the team last season. He was clearly hampered and not playing to his full potential.
Eitherways he is a victim, like many other players, of being judged against mythical counterparts. “Fans” will watch every match just looking out for any perceived failings in his game (inbetween tweeting/blogging throughout the entire game of course), and then compare the performance against the highlights package of a match featuring a perceived superior counterpart.
Henderson isn’t what I’d consider to be in the top tier in his position, but he isn’t too far off imho.
If you truly do believe henderson isn’t too far off of world class midfielder, I think it’s time you woke up and smelled the coffee, my fellow red. Blind loyalty has never been the way forward, and as I recall, football has never showed sympathy… Robbie Keane & Dirk Kuyt can attest to that when they got released by LFC.
Lets be frank here, Henderson was never a Liverpool caliber player. And praising the likes of henderson is what got us where we are today.
Name one top 4 club, coached by the likes of Guardiola, Mourinho, Conte…etc, that henderson would be guaranteed a staring 11 position, let alone team captain?.. Name me one!!
Now that we at least have a world class manager locked for the next 6 yrs, I for one, will back whatever decision Klopp makes on henderson (be it to keep henderson in the squad or to move him on).
But henderson was never a liverpool caliber player make no mistake about it. He only looked half decent (during Rodgers’ era) because of the state of the current squad.
Give Klopp a couple summer transfer windows and see if henderson is still arond then.
Henderson is a work horse and if used as such is very much an asset. However if he is use as a distributor and a playmaker we are in trouble. The odd 30 or 40 yard pass and or hitting the target with a 3 out of 30 ratio does not warrant changing his initial role of work horse. He is not Stevie G nor will he ever be and that is just the facts. Stevie G was a once in a lifetime talent not to say that we wont find players of quality and character, but Stevie was and is Iconic to Liverpool FC. Lets be real about Henderson’s quality and ability cause his work rate and commitment.
has never been a question