Jordan Henderson: Last season it was hard to feel like the Liverpool captain
The 26-year-old endured a 2015-16 season of injuries and self-doubt but kept Jürgen Klopp’s faith and a return to the revamped Anfield seems like a fresh start
It was, in Jordan Henderson’s own words, “a huge privilege” to succeed Steven Gerrard as Liverpool captain but there must have been times in the intervening 14 months when the armband felt a dubious honour to him. The extra scrutiny, demands and pressure that accompany the role he can handle. The spate of injuries that coincided with the promotion, however, created a despondency that lifted only recently. “I am ready to lead this team and win things,” says Henderson with obvious intent to make up for lost time.
The England international is ebullient before Liverpool’s first Premier League game at a revamped Anfield on Saturday, where capacity will rise above 54,000 for the visit of the champions, Leicester City, thanks to the completion of the long-awaited Main Stand. Henderson shares the anticipation that surrounds the homecoming and Jürgen Klopp’s team, for all their inconsistencies. But the 26-year-old is silenced for several seconds when asked whether, given the heel, toe and knee injuries that blighted last season and the criticism he received while playing in severe pain, he ever revised his opinion on the privilege of being Liverpool captain.
Eventually, having considered his answer with forensic care, the midfielder explains: “I’ve never felt that I didn’t want the captaincy and never doubted I was the right person for it but there were times last season when I was very down because I wasn’t playing and I questioned my contribution as captain because of that. I couldn’t help on the pitch as I wanted to and so Milly [James Milner], as vice-captain, had to take the role on. It was a very difficult time and I was down.
“There were a lot of things going through my head and there were times when it was hard to feel like the captain because I wasn’t contributing on the pitch. I feel as though I’ve come through that now. I’m in a much better place, I feel very confident and feel I am ready to lead this team and win things. There are no doubts about that.”
Henderson admits to “learning everything I can in training” from Klopp, the assistant manager, Zeljko Buvac, and the coach, Peter Krawietz, but his education under the manager is not confined to the pitch. Liverpool suffered a collective failure when losing 2-0 at Burnley but, not for the first time, fierce criticism was reserved for their captain, prompting Klopp to respond: “If I doubted him then he would not be here.” The manager’s defence of Henderson came with the instruction that his skipper should stop trying “to make special things … Just do more of what you need to do rather than what you want to do.” The captain insists the lesson has been learned.
“When you’re not playing it is difficult to feel that you are the leader of the team. You want to help but I couldn’t,” he responds. “That’s a big difference with this season. I feel good, I feel fit but there are a lot of leaders in the team, it’s not just me. There are big characters in the dressing room and we have a very good group of players so I don’t see it as reliant on me, or I have to replace Stevie or I have to do this or that. I might have felt that way a year ago and that was one of the negatives I’d say I had to work on – thinking I needed to do everything when there are people around me who are just as big as leaders and who can drive the team on.”
Klopp’s statement of support was timely but unsurprising to Henderson after a summer when he was linked with a move away from Anfield. “I have a good relationship with the manager,” the midfielder says, “and what he was saying to me was the total opposite to what other people were saying and writing. He knew what was going on. I still don’t think he has seen the best of me yet, which I’m quite excited about.”
Henderson, deployed in a deeper, holding role this season, admits feeling “as though I’ve always had to prove myself” and five years at Liverpool have done nothing to diminish that instinct. First he had to justify a £20m transfer fee under Kenny Dalglish, then win over a manager in Brendan Rodgers who was initially prepared to sell him to Fulham, and now he must prove himself a worthy captain for a coach he describes as “one of, if not the best in the world”. But he draws an important distinction. “The difference with Kenny and Brendan is that I was fit and ready. I was available to play every week but with the new manager I’ve not been able to do that. It is probably only the start of this season where I have been able to and I feel good. Last year I was playing games when I wasn’t 100% and mentally that isn’t great. Mentally I am in a different place this season and I think you can see that in the performances.”
Results and performances have been mixed for Liverpool and Leicester in the embryonic stage of the season but Henderson believes there is firm evidence of progress from Klopp’s new-look side. He says: “We have to give Leicester a lot of respect. The bottom line is they are champions. We wanted to win all the first three away games at the Emirates, Burnley and White Hart Lane and even though we didn’t do that I feel there was an obvious show of intent, particularly in the second half against Arsenal and at White Hart Lane. We are not far away from where we want to get to.”
The 26-year-old endured a 2015-16 season of injuries and self-doubt but kept Jürgen Klopp’s faith and a return to the revamped Anfield seems like a fresh start
It was, in Jordan Henderson’s own words, “a huge privilege” to succeed Steven Gerrard as Liverpool captain but there must have been times in the intervening 14 months when the armband felt a dubious honour to him. The extra scrutiny, demands and pressure that accompany the role he can handle. The spate of injuries that coincided with the promotion, however, created a despondency that lifted only recently. “I am ready to lead this team and win things,” says Henderson with obvious intent to make up for lost time.
The England international is ebullient before Liverpool’s first Premier League game at a revamped Anfield on Saturday, where capacity will rise above 54,000 for the visit of the champions, Leicester City, thanks to the completion of the long-awaited Main Stand. Henderson shares the anticipation that surrounds the homecoming and Jürgen Klopp’s team, for all their inconsistencies. But the 26-year-old is silenced for several seconds when asked whether, given the heel, toe and knee injuries that blighted last season and the criticism he received while playing in severe pain, he ever revised his opinion on the privilege of being Liverpool captain.
Eventually, having considered his answer with forensic care, the midfielder explains: “I’ve never felt that I didn’t want the captaincy and never doubted I was the right person for it but there were times last season when I was very down because I wasn’t playing and I questioned my contribution as captain because of that. I couldn’t help on the pitch as I wanted to and so Milly [James Milner], as vice-captain, had to take the role on. It was a very difficult time and I was down.
“There were a lot of things going through my head and there were times when it was hard to feel like the captain because I wasn’t contributing on the pitch. I feel as though I’ve come through that now. I’m in a much better place, I feel very confident and feel I am ready to lead this team and win things. There are no doubts about that.”
Henderson admits to “learning everything I can in training” from Klopp, the assistant manager, Zeljko Buvac, and the coach, Peter Krawietz, but his education under the manager is not confined to the pitch. Liverpool suffered a collective failure when losing 2-0 at Burnley but, not for the first time, fierce criticism was reserved for their captain, prompting Klopp to respond: “If I doubted him then he would not be here.” The manager’s defence of Henderson came with the instruction that his skipper should stop trying “to make special things … Just do more of what you need to do rather than what you want to do.” The captain insists the lesson has been learned.
“When you’re not playing it is difficult to feel that you are the leader of the team. You want to help but I couldn’t,” he responds. “That’s a big difference with this season. I feel good, I feel fit but there are a lot of leaders in the team, it’s not just me. There are big characters in the dressing room and we have a very good group of players so I don’t see it as reliant on me, or I have to replace Stevie or I have to do this or that. I might have felt that way a year ago and that was one of the negatives I’d say I had to work on – thinking I needed to do everything when there are people around me who are just as big as leaders and who can drive the team on.”
Klopp’s statement of support was timely but unsurprising to Henderson after a summer when he was linked with a move away from Anfield. “I have a good relationship with the manager,” the midfielder says, “and what he was saying to me was the total opposite to what other people were saying and writing. He knew what was going on. I still don’t think he has seen the best of me yet, which I’m quite excited about.”
Henderson, deployed in a deeper, holding role this season, admits feeling “as though I’ve always had to prove myself” and five years at Liverpool have done nothing to diminish that instinct. First he had to justify a £20m transfer fee under Kenny Dalglish, then win over a manager in Brendan Rodgers who was initially prepared to sell him to Fulham, and now he must prove himself a worthy captain for a coach he describes as “one of, if not the best in the world”. But he draws an important distinction. “The difference with Kenny and Brendan is that I was fit and ready. I was available to play every week but with the new manager I’ve not been able to do that. It is probably only the start of this season where I have been able to and I feel good. Last year I was playing games when I wasn’t 100% and mentally that isn’t great. Mentally I am in a different place this season and I think you can see that in the performances.”
Results and performances have been mixed for Liverpool and Leicester in the embryonic stage of the season but Henderson believes there is firm evidence of progress from Klopp’s new-look side. He says: “We have to give Leicester a lot of respect. The bottom line is they are champions. We wanted to win all the first three away games at the Emirates, Burnley and White Hart Lane and even though we didn’t do that I feel there was an obvious show of intent, particularly in the second half against Arsenal and at White Hart Lane. We are not far away from where we want to get to.”
