Jump to content
tlw content
tlw content

Klopp: Henderson has the most difficult job in 500 years of Football

Following the lead of one of the most legendary figures in the history of Liverpool football club is certainly not a easy mantle to take on,  just ask Jordan Henderson.

While it is human nature to compare what has come immediately before, in the case of taking over the armband from Steven Gerrard  it is certainly a unfair comparison to make.

Gerrard was the man for the moment, the true talismanic figure, the heart and soul of the club.

He was one of us, and knew the ups and downs of what a Liverpool fan goes through and we lived all the memorable moments and disapointments through him.

Henderson was by and large a outsider who had questions attached from the moment he joined the club from Sunderland in 2011.

Be it the transfer fee, his unique running style, his frequent injuries or his overall impact in games, it is fair to say that the 28 year-old has had his critics over the journey.

However one man that has had his back though all the difficult moments is Jurgen Klopp.

He saw fit to keep Henderson in the role of captain after taking over from Brendan Rodgers, and despite there being calls before every season for another player to be given the role, Klopp has kept the faith.

The manager is widely recognised in having a unwavering belief in his players.

He is also someone who knows how the footballing landscape lies, and he is well aware of the criticism that his leader has taken over the journey.

Just like a protective father, he was more than willing to fight the cause of his midfielder.

The Telegraph reported Klopp as saying:

"Hendo, from my point of view, is a brilliant player. He's our skipper, he's a fantastic character. 

"If I had to write a book about Hendo, it would be 500 page, so I'm very positive. 

"The most difficult job in the last 500 years of football was to replace Steven Gerrard.

 

"In the mind of the people it was like if it's not Stevie, then it's not good enough. 

"And he has dealt with that outstandingly well so he can be really proud. Now we have to think of the future and he is a very important part of our team.” 

Henderson isn't widely seen as a playmaker, but on Friday night he produced arguably his most telling creative impact in quite a while where he set up a goal for Mo Salah and scored one himself coming off the bench.

His reaction to his first goal of the season against the Saints showed that it certainly meant a lot to him.

Over the last few years, Klopp has transformed Henderson from a roaming midfielder into a holding one who thrives on the big games which calls for seasoned campaigners with level heads.

However, Klopp believes that his leader has the versatility to play any role if asked.

 

henderson1_600.jpg
 

"I've seen him a lot like that. That's Jordan.

"When I came in and thought first about the team, Hendo was a box to box player. 

"We made him a number 6 and that's good. I think it's helped him a lot to play in different positions. 

" I told him already that that doesn't mean he will never play as a six again. He thinks it makes sense, and that's absolutely true. 

"We play different systems. Milly (James Milner) and Hendo were both really pumped up. It helped us a lot.”

He may not be everyone's cup of tea, but as someone who was there in 2014, he knows the pain of a failed title challenge all too well well and doesn't want to relive that anytime soon.

He may not be Stevie in terms of presence and playing ability, but in a few weeks time he may well be a title-winning captain.

And that is a pretty special thing to have on your playing CV.

User Feedback

Recommended Comments



17 minutes ago, Captain Turdseye said:

This thread had potential. Sorry for not getting here sooner, lads. 

Incredibly disappointed in your performance here. 

Severe lack of pointing. You didn’t get in the mix at all. 

3/10

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, viRdjil said:

To be fair, Henderson tends to start the bigger games. He gets rested at times because the quality we have in midfield is pretty even, especially when the worst performing midfielder this season has been the most expensive one. 

Nice to see him score on Friday though, first goal of the season was much needed. Nice to see goals from midfield in general.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think the boss has this one wrong, he's never compared to Gerrard or expected to do half the stuff he done. The expectations are high and so they should be, he's captain of one the world's elite club's. 

 

The frustration comes from him not being able or willing to do things Christian Poulsen would do, never mind Steven Gerrard. 

 

If he's in the team I'm ok with that, if he's out of the team I'm ok with that too. As has been alluded to previously that shouldn't be a scenario that's acceptable for supporters to be meh about the club captain.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Klopp is a great man-manager. He will well know the reaction to Henderson from part of the fanbase; Henderson will no doubt know it himself. Its nice to give him a gee-up in public. He's a good player to have; he's not remotely near the Mane/Salah/Van Dijk/Firmino/Alisson equivalent for his position. There's probably a very strong argument to say he's not at an equivalent level to Fabinho/Robertson/Wijnaldum, too. Of the first 11, that then leaves Trent & Gomez .. both of whom (at 20 & 21) I think have a far higher trajectory in them than Henderson has ever shown - if Gomez can ever get fit that is.

 

So - he's not one of our better players, and if we ever do manage to get in a midfielder on the David Silva/De Bruyne level (or if Keita ever evolves into that), then he's the one that looks most immediately replaceable in the first 11. But its a squad game, he has great tenacity and fits our system well, so he'll always get minutes here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, No2 said:

I think the boss has this one wrong, he's never compared to Gerrard or expected to do half the stuff he done. The expectations are high and so they should be, he's captain of one the world's elite club's. 

 

The frustration comes from him not being able or willing to do things Christian Poulsen would do, never mind Steven Gerrard. 

 

If he's in the team I'm ok with that, if he's out of the team I'm ok with that too. As has been alluded to previously that shouldn't be a scenario that's acceptable for supporters to be meh about the club captain.

 

Meh.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's fair to highlight his limitations as an individual player, but it's clear the job he does is integral to the way Klopp's built this side.

 

We'd have won the league in 13/14 if he hadn't got that red card.

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, No2 said:

I think the boss has this one wrong, he's never compared to Gerrard or expected to do half the stuff he done. The expectations are high and so they should be, he's captain of one the world's elite club's. 

 

The frustration comes from him not being able or willing to do things Christian Poulsen would do, never mind Steven Gerrard. 

 

If he's in the team I'm ok with that, if he's out of the team I'm ok with that too. As has been alluded to previously that shouldn't be a scenario that's acceptable for supporters to be meh about the club captain.

 

Unfair to be be compared with Gerrard yet not unfavourably with Poulsen?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, VERBAL DIARRHEA said:

Unfair to be be compared with Gerrard yet not unfavourably with Poulsen?

 

 

I like a lot of what Henderson does but there times when he receives the ball with time and space and without looking sends it straight back where it came from. That part of his game is comparable to poor/mediocre midfielders, fair enough Poulsen is below the belt, he was the first shit midfielder that popped into my head.

 

I didn't say it was unfair to compare him to Gerrard, I said nobody does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Babb'sBurstNad said:

I think it's fair to highlight his limitations as an individual player, but it's clear the job he does is integral to the way Klopp's built this side.

 

We'd have won the league in 13/14 if he hadn't got that red card.

That wasn't his fault to be fair

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, magicrat said:

That wasn't his fault to be fair

Oh no, I didn't mean to intimate as such. He'd run himself into the ground by the end of that season - and that game - and it was the kind of tired challenge that just happens some times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites




Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...