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Jordan Henderson believes Liverpool will approach the start of the 2020-21 season with “humility, focus and even harder work.”
The Reds kick off the new term with an Anfield encounter against Leeds United tonight as they begin their defense of the Premier League title.
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Melwood’s message has been consistent, and Henderson has echoed the sentiment that past accomplishments won’t influence what unfolds this time.
Indeed, the captain insists that only by working harder will Liverpool have a chance to continue to triumph.
Writing in your first 2020-21 program notes, Henderson stated: “When I think about what has served us well in the past, it has been that mentality of focusing only on what is immediately in front of you. As a player who starts with training. Come to Melwood every day and get ready for work. Eat the right thing, listen to medical staff and fitness trainers to get the right preparation, and then treat each session as an opportunity to improve and learn as much as you can.
“With games, it’s about keeping the focus completely on the here and now. What can I affect now? What impact can I have right now to help the team?
“Don’t look beyond the immediate challenge, just think about winning the things you can at this very moment. This means completely focusing on winning your first tackle, making your first pass, winning the header, being faster and stronger than your opponent in those individual fights, being competitive in those personal and collective battles.
“It is an integral part of our professional life that so much external emphasis is placed on looking to the future, making predictions and setting expectations. It will be exactly the same for Leeds United, I’m sure. They had a fantastic season and were worthy champions in their league. It was a brilliant achievement for them, but I’m sure it wasn’t long after they were asked to predict what the next season would look like, how they would compete in the Premier League, etc.
“Like I said, it’s okay for people to externally debate and argue about this, it’s what makes football such a fascinating topic. But as players, it is your responsibility to deliver on the field and you must block any distractions that do not help.
“Together with Leeds, we have said and written nice things about ourselves in recent weeks and months and of course in those moments it is good. But none of that matters or helps when the whistle blows this afternoon to start this new campaign. All 20 teams start with the same number of points: zero. Nothing is carried over from last season. And that suits us well.
“I look at our team and a defining characteristic is that we have all thrown away and fought for everything we have in our professional lives. Nothing has been given to anyone in our dressing room. Nothing has been easy. Everything has been won. So that allows us to keep our mindset on improvement and push ourselves at all times.
“Working harder is the only way for us, whether we’re in a good time or a bad time. You get through tough times if you work harder, and good times are better if you work harder.
“The coach talks about the importance of being humble, as individuals, as a team and as a club. Part of staying humble is recognizing that this season begins with everyone in exactly the same position.
“Today we have no advantage over Leeds before the whistle blows. If we want an advantage in the game, on the field, we have to go to win it. As I said at the beginning of this column, everything resets to zero.
“If we want to create special memories, we must win them, one challenge at a time, one sprint at a time, one save at a time and one battle at a time. It’s okay to be optimistic about what’s in store for us, but that sentiment is based on the belief that we will actually remain humble and stay focused. “
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