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To gain the recognition he currently enjoys, Jordan Henderson has had a difficult time during some of the dark and dark times at Anfield.
The Liverpool captain had to work hard to earn the respect of various managers, owners and supporters who, at least at first, often did not value him very highly. Now their moods are completely opposite.
Before the world pandemic broke out in England, Hendo was the favorite to win the Major League Baseball Player of the Year award. The 29-year-old midfielder has already collected the Champions League Cup and has been selected as the number 1 in the 2019 English national team, already playing the most coveted Anfield trophy, which will undoubtedly be won while the national championship is played. . .
However, it is not easy to become a big star in Henderson’s role on the field. The midfielder acts pragmatically, not brilliantly, usually putting the team in front of him, and few notice what exactly contributes to Jurgen Klop’s well-oiled machine.
From the start of his Liverpool career, there was a general misunderstanding why the club had paid Sunderland £ 20 million to take it. The simplest view possible was that Hendo should take the place of Steven Gerrard, whose career was gradually declining in 2011.
At the time, there was internal resistance to the transfer of young hope in the club, but in fact, no one, at least manager Kenny Dalglish, imagined that someone could replace a legend like Stevie G.
Dalglish knew that the team should completely remake itself when Gerrard resigns.
Gerard’s retirement occurred four years later, during which Henderson’s place on the team was repeatedly questioned.
Brandon Rodgers replaced Dalglish less than 12 months after Jordan’s arrival. The midfielder was one of the players Rogers was not particularly interested in, and this was confirmed by internal sources in Liverpool. FSG club owners have looked at Henderson’s transfer from the start, and their doubts about the player have lingered for a long time, including during the Jurgen Klop era.
In fact, in 2012, an exchange was negotiated between Henderson and Fulham’s Clint Dempsey, which seems to have been the case if Hendo had not rejected it with such determination. The 21-year-old, at the time, was surprised by Liverpool’s desire to sell it, stating that he wanted to play for Merseyside.
Naturally, the situation was offensive to him, but we have long known the nature of his character, so it is not surprising that he has continued to fight tooth and nail for his place in the club, to develop his qualities from season to season and patiently wait for your great moments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhNeNM-3OQ8
Later, Brandon Rodgers realized that Henderson was indeed very trustworthy, unlike many other players who passed through Anfield in those years and are only remembered today as transfer misunderstandings.
The midfielder was still in Gerard’s shadow, but he was ready for anything and played the role he wanted. In 2012/13, in almost half of his 30 major league games, Jordan entered the reserve. However, the next season he was not on the bench once. He would even have recorded the full game of matches had it not been for his punishment for a brutal Baltic match against Samir Nasri in a 3-2 victory over Manchester City.
That mistake in the closing seconds of the game that led to his red card was a particularly painful episode.
Due to the sanction, Henderson has missed three of his last four games during a campaign in which Liverpool has been very close to the title. There’s a pretty strong argument that it was his absence, not Gerard’s slip against Chelsea, that turned out to be the deciding factor for the Reds’ collapse at the end of the season.
Not that his absence has made the crowd suddenly appreciate his contribution. Much of Anfield’s turmoil remained critical and he did not see enough courage in his hard work, leadership, and team spirit. Not that skepticism is unintelligible – some of Jordan Henderson’s strongest moments remain out of camera focus and off the ball. Over the years, there have been no complaints that he is not productive and creative enough (because comparisons with Gerrard have influenced him again) that he prefers safe side and rear passes.
In Brandon Rogers’ final days at the club, the FSG cues were still poised to ditch Jordan for a second, though he had already grabbed the captain’s belt and was still playing with a hamstring injury.
For a specialist like Jurgen Klop, the value at Henderson could not go unnoticed. After the heel injury, Jordan also suffered a bone fracture, but when he returned, the new manager quickly showed confidence in him.
Kloop realized that to build a large team, he needed figures who were willing to do the black work with the utmost dedication. He needed soldiers like Henderson.
In the past year, when the backups of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have become the biggest threat to the team’s opponents, Henderson’s roles have changed once again. Now he has more opportunities to show his creative side and help with the attacks by Trent and Mohammed Salah on Liverpool’s right flank.
Before that, Fabinho’s injury once again required Henderson to take on a different role and make up for the Brazilian’s absence. Without Fabigno’s qualities at stake, the captain showed his passing arsenal and his ability to counterattack the team, protecting the area on defense. The accusation that Jordan is always playing is probably even more unfounded.
Henderson is simply doing what the Reds need most at the right time.
At first, the Player of the Year awards are for more attractive players. But if Jordan Henderson is truly outstanding, it will also be a tribute to the years he was undervalued at Anfield, but he did not lose faith and established himself as one of Liverpool’s contemporary symbols.
However, for a team player like him, individual rewards may be out of focus.
Still, he has much more to do: lift the Premier League trophy. Something that even Gerrard could not do.
