Klopp’s genius for improving every player is embodied by hero Henderson
The man who gave Jordan henderson his break at Sunderland was Roy Keane. When he signed for Liverpool it was wondered whether he could be the next Steven Gerrard. For england, his presence invariably came with the insight that he was no Andrea Pirlo.
Big shoes, but somehow henderson has filled them. he has made himself a captain as admired as Keane, and often as vital to Liverpool’s midfield as Gerrard. And, no, he’s not Pirlo, but nor is his passing the weak link any more. he has expanded his range, widened a limited repertoire and made the fulcrum role his own.
henderson has schooled himself into becoming one of the greatest midfielders in europe. Only snobs drool over Sergio Busquets while sneering at henderson these days, and nobody speculates that he will be squeezed out of Liverpool’s team any more.
This, then, is one of football’s great reinventions, up there with Kevin Keegan’s journey from Scunthorpe to Liverpool, finally becoming europe’s Footballer of the Year at hamburg. The silence at Project Restart matches has shone a positive light on henderson’s vocal influence, too. Now 30, he is at his peak: a presence, an essential component of arguably the greatest Liverpool team.
Yet consider, too, the man who has overseen this evolution. There are so many qualities Jurgen Klopp has brought to Liverpool, but his most admirable is perhaps his talent for improvement.
Good players have become great; great players greater; young players display old heads; old players stay young at heart. The best coaches have a gift for development. The longer players stay with them, the better they get. The hope for the future after the remarkable achievements of the last two seasons is the way Klopp’s group continues to grow.
Liverpool have made strong signings in recent years. Few, however, were considered capable of rewriting the record books like this. Sadio Mane had two good seasons with Southampton and scored 25 goals at a rate of one every three games. When Liverpool bought him, however, it was not considered a coup to make rivals envious.
Yet Mane has matured into one of the world’s finest forwards, scoring almost every other game, and winning African Footballer of the Year. had he been that player when he left Southampton, the world would have been fighting over him. Georginio Wijnaldum was useful at Newcastle, too. he played every game in a season that ended in relegation, 2015- 16, before joining Liverpool for £23million. Again, it wasn’t seen as a game-changing switch. But he has started 29 of 31 league games this season.
Mo Salah’s return to england for a fee approaching £ 50m was mocked in 2017. he had impressed at Fiorentina and Roma, but few questioned Jose Mourinho for allowing him to leave Chelsea. The perception is very different now.
Throughout this team there are players whose narrative has been changed by Klopp. Slaven Bilic wanted to take Andy Robertson to West ham. They offered £3m, hull wanted £10m, Liverpool paid £8m — for a player who is now possibly the world’s best left back. James Milner has played his best football under Klopp; Trent AlexanderArnold’s youthful progress has been judged perfectly.
But back to henderson. he is always generous about the influences on his professional life. Kevin Ball, as a youth player at Sunderland, then Keane and later Steve Bruce, his first managers, all get a mention. Yet it is time under Klopp that has defined him. he has found an inspirational figure capable of bringing the best from his men, even in adversity.
Much has been made of the Champions League defeat by Real Madrid and of last season’s second- placed finish, despite losing just once. Yet henderson believes he saw Klopp’s power to motivate in adversity, the night Liverpool lost their first european final under him, against Sevilla in 2016.
‘ It was the worst feeling,’ henderson recalls, ‘and then the manager came into the bar of the hotel. he said, “I felt really s*** three hours ago, and it was still s*** two hours ago... but now we are back here together and it is better. This is just the start for us”.
‘he said he was proud we got to the final, reminded us of how much we’d improved. he had this vision that made me think in the future we’d go again. he looked at the bigger picture. It was a big moment.’
henderson did not start that night, yet by the time Liverpool were in their next european final, against Real Madrid in 2018, he was captain. even then, many stayed unconvinced. he had been one of the league’s outstanding players that season: an assertive, hard-working presence, but it was considered Liverpool needed more. henderson did not have the technique for phase two.
And that is what he changed. his achievement has been hugely underestimated. This was not about working harder or getting fitter. henderson has addressed an aspect it is often lazily suggested cannot be improved beyond a young age: technique.
he has worked on his passing: on its quality and ambition. he has worked on risk-reward, abandoned a natural conservatism. Twice, on big occasions in 2018, henderson was outshone by Luka Modric. Now, he has found a way to be effective without requiring the complete skill set of the modern elite playmaker.
he won’t ever be Modric, or Pirlo, but he’ll be a player who can be equally efficient, who can pick a difficult pass, make a tackle and run midfield.
he is the embodiment of Klopp’s revolution at Anfield — and all the more impressive because so much of this creation is uniquely self-made.