Yes it is a forum where people get their opinions across but when you say things like "there is no standing up for how poor he is" (which is what you actually said,not how poor he's been) you're contradicting your own point and ignore the fact that Jurgen Klopp rates him as a player.I'd never say you have to agree with everything Klopp thinks but he knows his players,knows what he expects of them and I reckon him rating Henderson at least leaves a situation where there's plenty of room for standing up for him,no?
How is he not a leader again? I always forget how this one goes, when we win games it's nothing to do with leadership but when we lose it's because of poor leadership right? Intangible arguments are always my favorite.
Yeah sure we've nobody in the squad that can get "stuck in", they're all too nice. If we'd a nasty side we'd win everything.
Except the nasty players and leaders that people reference are generally great at football.Its like that being great at football is by far the most important factor and the other unquantifiable stuff is exactly that.... unquantifiable.
There is definitely a case to be made for having a ‘true’ leader as captain. It’s not as big a deal as it’s made out to be, however it can make a difference. If I look back at the teams that have won the Premier League more than once they have had quite iconic captains. It also happens that they were also outstanding players. I am thinking Keane, Adams, Terry, Vidic and Kompany. LFC should have won in 09 and 14 and you could have added Gerrard to that list. Now you could also point to Tim Sherwood and Wes Morgan however the they were one off seasons that are the exceptions. The issue for me with Henderson (I am a fan BTW) is that he is not a world class player, he is a very good player who is not totally suited to the role the manager plays him in. He was much more suited to his position in 13/14 under Rodgers. He lacks that game intelligence (a lot of LFC players seem to lack) at critical times to see out the game. On Saturday night his attempted hoof led to their goal. A calmer head or better player would have killed that ball and kept possession. At times as well I think he lacks that cynical side to stop an opposition attack. I have noticed a few times that he could have stopped opposing attacks with a foul in own half. I am thinking the likes of Keane, Vieria or Terry would nail someone in that position and take the yellow and stop the momentum It’s not dirty play, it’s clever.
Just read he made 27 appearances last season and 26 the year before,20 already this season(Dan Kennett on Twitter)so I'd expect Wednesday won't be the last "big game" he doesn't start this season.Klopp not happy with the narrative surrounding him leaving him out for that one, shit stories is the phrase he used but to be fair it was a huge game and the conclusions people came to on the back of that are only natural. But with an important played who has injury issues,all going well is going to double his workload this season from the previous 2 and a horses for courses as well as fatigue management approach to necessary rotation(I don't think it's a coincidence that Henderson has seen a bit more rest for CL nights)Spartak wasn't a bad one for him to miss,Can has been very good in the main in Europe so far this season. Id also say there's zero chance of Can going anywhere in January,we need him.One more round of CL football will be on its own worth far more than any fee we'd receive at this stage,not to mention what CL qualification is worth both financially and from a footballing angle.
Jürgen Klopp insists nothing should be read into his decision to name Jordan Henderson on the bench for the midweek win over Spartak Moscow, declaring: ‘He is such an important player for us.’ The captain was an unused substitute during the 7-0 victory over the Russian side on Wednesday as the Reds booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League in emphatic fashion. Afterwards, Klopp said Henderson would “play the next game, 100 per cent” when Everton come to Anfield on Sunday. And when asked about the midfielder during his pre-Merseyside derby press conference, the manager replied: “I’m not sure if it’s [an] English [thing] or old fashioned [thing] or whatever, but even a captain cannot play all the time – that’s how it is. It is like this, you cannot bring him [in] only because of the armband. “He is in a good moment, in good shape, but for this game I made a decision for that and I thought it makes real sense in these kind of weeks, you need the players on the pitch to know 100 per cent what a derby is about. That makes sense, I would say. “I made the decision for the last game and I only spoke about it because I knew people would say, ‘oh yes, fantastic game, Jordan didn’t play’ and then make a story out of it. “He is such an important player for us. I don’t get why I have to say that. I live in this city and I know, I get it a little bit, how people sometimes are talking about [it]. Being skipper of Liverpool is the hardest job in world football because the man who had the armband before him is Steven Gerrard, [but] sorry, he’s finished playing football and we cannot get him back. “I want that everybody respects that Jordan Henderson is our skipper because he deserved it, because he is the right man for the job and all that stuff. “But that doesn’t mean he can play all of the games until he is injured. It is actually no story but in England, especially in Liverpool, it is a story. “I’ve said a little bit about it, story done.”
Thankfully we have Ox there to cover a few positions now. Great to have that versatility in the squad.
I know what you mean, Sturrridge most probably would've got injured again had he been playing lately. Had a look there and there's no comparison in earlier seasons but over the last 2 and a half seasons there's very little in it. 139 league appearances out of 152 in his first 4 seasons and 57 out of 96 in the last 2 and a half seasons. He's gone from an almost ever present to an almost 1 in 2 game man.
I wonder if that's the reason we are being linked with Goretzka so much in the last number of weeks? Apart from the fact that his contract is near finished, he's German and plays in a position where we need to strengthen.