Right, so just to add a bit of perspective to some of the comments here relating to Henderson’s supposed inadequacies:
Firstly, “he wouldn’t get in United, City, Arsenal, etc’s sides”. That’s one of the shittest arguments ever, irrespective of Henderson. Giroud gets in Arsenal’s side as the main point of attack, but he wouldn’t get in ours. Would Rooney play ahead of Coutinho for us? Nope. Would Ivanovic get in at right back before Clyne? Would he fuck. Would Joe Hart get a game ahead of De Gea? Nope, and City have been a better side than United for 3 or 4 years. It’s a futile discussion, and in even contemplating it you’re exposing yourself as someone who evaluates teams on a page, as opposed to what they’re respective teams need, and how they’re constructed, and that players are constructed to compliment the team, rather than the construct of a fucking chalkboard. And it’s the 'importance to the team' point that assures me that Henderson is vital to us and Klopp’s Liverpool, but more on that later.
Secondly, “he offers nothing going forward”. Well depends on what your definition of ‘offer’ is really, but I don’t expect my central midfielder to score 15 goals and provide the same in assists. Not unless he’s Steven Gerrard. I expect my central midfielder to break forward from deep at the right time, to lead the team’s pressing, to create space for others, and to create openings that forwards who nominally are accounted for by an opponent wouldn’t get otherwise. The single best performance I’ve seen from a Liverpool side in the last 5+ years was the destruction of Spurs away in 2013-14. Everyone remembers Suarez’s role (and Jon Flanagan’s goal!), but check out Henderson’s contribution in this video. 1-0, 2-0, 3-0 – all as a direct result of him. Running from deep and carving openings. These aren’t your icing-on-the-cake goals when you’re already 5-zip up and showboating, this was breaking the game open shit. And he initiated it all. Look at those runs, the composure for the first, the timing of his surges forward, and the energy. He did that all year long. “Shit” players don’t do this stuff. Watch the video - the boy can play.
Firmino’s goal against the Mancs in the ¼ final of the Europa last year? Henderson running like a fucking maniac down the wing, overlapping Lallana, and providing the cross for the goal. That was 70 minutes in the second half, and he’s making runs forward that no one could track. He adds an energy to our attacking game that few others have.
And finally, “we have better players”. We might yeah. We had better technical footballers than Dirk Kuyt at the time too. We could have gone and bought a better midfielder than Steve McMahon back when we were the best side in the country as well, and looked like a sexier set-up on paper. But it wouldn’t have improved the team. McMahon was the perfect foil for Ronnie Whelan. I’ve no doubt there are better players than Henderson around, but I can think of few that embody what Klopp’s Liverpool need more than our captain. Let’s get him fully fit and see what his contribution to our side is. Cos Klopp wants pressing – all day every day, and tenacity, energy, and the ability to go forward in numbers. He wants the ball won back, he wants characters, and he wants cunts who hate losing. That's Henderson.
There are three keys to winning the ball back in Klopp’s gegenpressing (I appreciate I sound like a fucking knob typing that word but whatever); 1 – when you first lose it. It’s before the opposition have a set structure, and you can catch them out quickly. 2 – When an opposition player receives the ball in his own half with his back to goal – that’s usually a signal to charge at him. Every cunt’s got to be on the same page mind you. 3 – when an opposing full-back receives it in his own half. You gang up in numbers and hunt because the full-back has only 180 degrees max to move the ball into, as opposed to the 360 anywhere else. Soooo… It takes someone to coordinate that and lead it on the ground. This isn’t how you trap a ball and spray a pass, it’s how you press like no other side can and how you manage a bunch of teammates to win the ball back, leading from the front. Who else would you want in your side owning that shit than Henderson? If he’s not in Klopp’s side just about every week I’ll be stunned. The ball doesn’t just magically appear at Coutinho, Firmino or Sturridge’s feet, it has to be won back for them, and the quicker you do that then the more space and time those match-winners have to do something with it.
Anyway, I’m done. Henderson is no Steven Gerrard. We’re agreed on that. And he’s no Coutinho, or Emre Can either but neither of those two can do what Henderson does. So you add the sum of the parts together, and we’re a better side. Henderson in our side will improve us. I think he’s perfect for Klopp’s Liverpool, and to be clear – even without Klopp, Henderson is a fine Liverpool player and a fantastic captain.
This derision of him is either borne out of stupidity or summer boredom.
