Immense. He's not just a work horse, stuck him in the middle and he showed real ability today, spraying passes left, right and centre and more importantly used the ball intelligently! Also a mention for Alberto who also looked decent when he came on, hoping to see more of him over the coming months. 16 points out of 21, job well done Rodgers.
I thought his defensive display stood out aswell,always seemed to be there when we lost possession. Developing into a valuable player
I've putting it out there early. I have faith in Allen. Now to sit back and reap the rewards in 2 years time
Hendo was always promising, but played far too often out of position so never had a chance to get going or show what he could do. I still can't believe very few outside of LFC actually rate him, never mind still go on about him being an expensive flop; when he's far from that! Solid player and keeps on improving.
me too Denny. always thought with his dedication and application he'd come good. not the finished article but he's getting there.
Jordan Henderson - 69/75 passes completed (92% accuracy), won 7 out of 7 tackles & recovered the ball 12 times.
That could ultimately end up being his biggest problem. He has the ability and engine to play pretty much anywhere - I hope his versatility doesn't hamper his career. He was a bargain. When you look at the likes of Jones, Smalling etc.. Hendo was an absolute bargain.
I'm glad he finally got a game in midfield, this is a position I would like to see him make his own. He would be a safer bet than Lucas, who's not been not at his best for some time. His energy and pressing is best used in midfield, he needs to be a tad more aggressive in his approach. There were times he could of tried harder to win the ball, but it's his 1st game in awhile in this position, so wouldn't complain. But I think given time, he would make a very good CDM. I'd like to see him play more in this role. Gerrards' boots got to be filled by some else, We need a more creative and incisive type for that. Henderson is a very good passer but he tends to go for the safe option more often than not. A player like Pastore next to him would work a treat.
I've been a defender of Henderson's from the early days of his Liverpool career and my post history will back that up. I'm not one to say I told you so - I know what it's like as I used to not rate Lucas. But I saw something in Henderson that very few youngsters have and that's drive. He could be having the worst game of his career and yet he'll still track back, run forward, try a cross, try a pass, hold the ball up. He doesn't get discouraged. Not to mention he's a very technical player compared to other English players in similar positions. He may not dribble or do cheeky flicks like Ford, but he's got an eye for pinpoint through balls and knows exactly where to send the ball. He's very accurate and that takes a technical mind. He thinks about every move he makes, and since he's young it may not work out so much - but in the future he'll think faster. I see too many youth from England try and be the next Gerrard, or Lampard, or Scholes. They train the physical aspect early and get into the wrong mindset. It's harder to learn to be technical at an older age. That's why I like players like Henderson, Wilshere, and Ramsey. They did the opposite. If you watch videos of Henderson in training as a teenager, he does a lot of training with the ball as opposed to shooting/running/long range passing. I'm sure Arsenal's lot did that too. Afterwards you can bulk up as much as you want, you've got the right technical ability to make it big. He's far from the finished product but with an extended run in the first team this season he's well on his way.
Covers more ground than Lucas, wins more tackles than Lucas, greater passing accuracy than Lucas. Less bookings than Lucas though. Seriously, this isn't having a dig at Lucas, just pointing out that Hendo belongs in central midfield and should be playing there. Lucas can wait until a vacancy occurs or try HIS versatility at wing-back, full-back or 'false' winger, whatever that bloody means.
I've said for a long time, Henderson is probably the best in our side (maybe apart from Coutinho now) and one of the best in the league at putting little through balls forward and with one touch passing. He still has lots of work to do no doubt, but he's starting to show the kind of form which prompted us to buy him
Lucas's ability to get the ball in tight positions, turn and send it forward is incredible though. I've not seen a player more comfortable in possession when in trouble in our half than him in a long time. I think we have a bit of a problem in midfield though. Lucas has great elements to his game but won't contribute up the pitch and is picking up silly yellows. Gerrard's passing is second to none in the league, but his engine is all but dried up and we lack midfield energy and pressing with him. Henderson has fantastic energy and link up, but despite getting forward, needs to work on getting more goals from midfield. His ability to create something is nowhere near Gerrard's level but could be in a few years. As a trio, they compliment each other which is why 4-3-3 worked so well. As a pair, each combination lack something meaning we'd struggle to get Moses, Sturridge, Suarez and Coutinho into the same team. Without Moses, we play quite narrow. This summer really needs to see us buying a top drawer midfielder who's more rounded than what we have and will eventually be the partner of Henderson.
Well played, young lad. Great energy and covered a lot of ground. Having said that, I still wouldn't use him as the dedicated DM because there are more specialists out there, but he's definitely a great squad player to have. With Lucas and Gerrard in the team, Henderson's inclusion is badly needed.
I've been critical of his use of the ball in recent games, haven't seen todays performance but it sounds like he played well.
