Suarez will not be fazed by a frosty reception, says Jordan
THERE was once a time when Jordan Henderson was ready to flatten Luis Suarez — and Liverpool’s captain is desperate to make the striker’s return to Merseyside miserable.
But Henderson hopes Suarez will be given due recognition at Anfield this evening for the role he played in helping revive Liverpool’s fortunes after his first appearance back at the place he used to call home — in May 2019 — ended in rancour.
It took time for Henderson and Suarez to hit it off as team-mates 10 years ago, with the Uruguayan doubtful the England Under 21 international had what it took to succeed at Liverpool.
The relationship changed after a training-ground squabble cleared the air. The pair became good friends and remain in contact, with Henderson delighted to see Suarez thriving as Atletico Madrid’s talisman.
Suarez, however, showed there was no place for sentiment during that semi-final in May 2019.
He had startled some Liverpool fans with how much he celebrated his goal in the first leg and then incensed them when waving imaginary yellow cards — not to mention unloading some fierce challenges — in the return.
‘Luis poses a lot of challenges,’ said Henderson with a smile. ‘We all know he’s a top player for a long time, who produced so many good moments at Liverpool. I learnt a lot from him while he was here, I’m quite close to him and speak to him now and again.
‘He’s a world-class player who causes a lot of problems for defences, he’s always in and around the goal and if he gets a chance I’m sure he will take it, so we have to be on our guard. It’s not only him, they have worldclass players all over but Luis is a top striker who can cause any team problems.
‘Luis was phenomenal here for a number of years. The fans know that and will appreciate what he did at this football club.
‘So, yeah, I don’t think Luis will be too bothered. Maybe not during the game, but it would be nice after the game for him to get a nice reception from the crowd.’
Suarez will carry an extra level of responsibility here, given that Antoine Griezmann is suspended for the red card he received during the first dramatic meeting between the clubs last month, which Liverpool won 3-2.
‘I took a lot from Luis,’ said Henderson. ‘He helped us a lot when he was at Liverpool with the mentality side of it, how he was in training. He always wanted to win and he played through pain barriers and things like that.
‘He just wanted to get out and play football and try to do his best for the team.
‘He helped me massively and made me grow in confidence as a player and I had a good relationship with him on the pitch but also off the pitch.’
Liverpool will qualify for the knockout phase if they beat Atletico, who will only have the backing of 200 travelling fans.
To accomplish progress with two games to spare would be some achievement, but Jurgen Klopp is not looking beyond tonight’s 90 minutes.
‘We usually have a final in the group, but I hope that doesn’t happen this year,’ said Klopp.
‘Of course we want to avoid that, but we can’t take the second step before the first step.
‘We just have to win and then afterwards we can talk about what kind of achievement that would be.
‘For the moment, we have to prepare a football game against one of the best sides in the world.’