During pre season Rodgers said he was going to bring the full potential out of Jordan Henderson. Henderson has not featured much so far this season. But in his appearances during the last three games he has looked good and improvement is obvious. His passing, moving and positioning all have improved nicely, and he looks quicker and more confident than ever. Here is what Rodgers had to say on Jordan Henderson: please log in to view this image
Was very surprised when I heard we tried to part chop him in the summer because I think he has a great future ahead of him.
To be fair, Rodgers isn't going to come out and say 'I don't rate him and was pissed off that we didn't get shot in the summer, I could have done with the money!" is he...? The lads played well and deserved a mention Judging by the quote, he praised someone else too since it starts mid-sentence (sort of)
Going to sound daft but in looking at who has played so far I think BR sees Shelvey as Gerrards more natural replacement than Henderson and them you've got Allen, Lucas, Suso, Sterling, Assaidi, (not counting Sahin until I see him sign a permanent deal but maybe BR is confident of that?) all players I think he initially though would suit his team better, more quickly. Hats off to Hendo (who I too like) if he's changed BR's mind. That's exactly what we want in players and while I can't see it happening it may give Carroll hope that with the right effort & attitude he can change his mind too: if he wants to that is.
Shelvey plays almost identical to Stevie, and I too see him as a more natural successor. I see Hendo as a Lucas type - great engine, can get stuck in but can also play the short pass. He appears to have a great head on his shoulders - mature, professional and hard working.
Nuri Sahin. He said Sahin was not totally fit for the PL when he arrived but is just starting to show what he can do. A cover for Lucas is what we lack. Any player like Lucas is what England lack. If your right about him going that way, it could forge him a great career. It would give us: ----------------------Lucas/Henderson---------------------- ----------------------------------------Allen/Sahin------------ -----Gerrard/Shelvey/Suso----------------------------------
I like Henderson but I think he suffered last season for a few reasons. Expensive price tag, lack of experience and being played out of position. He always looks more comfortable in the middle of the park and I think he's one who just needs confidence in himself (a bit like Lucas did once upon a time). It will be interesting to see how he develops from here on in.
Henderson was thrown in the deep end on the right wing, even though we had Kuyt and Maxi who were better there than him. He probably knew they were better than him to.
I think the problem is, that Hendo has the IQ of a highlighter pen, and it has taken weeks of drumming to get the thick get to comprehend what he needs to do. SO while he may eventually "get it" I'd prefer a player that can adapt on the fly and not need his hand holding, and anything new being beaten in for weeks before it gets in there. Hopefully this is Rodgers bigging Hendo up to sell him in January. Hopefully Spurs will pay silly money for him.
Re: Shelvey. Brendan Rodgers when he arrived said that he was willing to sell Shelvey, however Shelvey has changed his mind due to his performances. Its a good sign if a player can change a managers mind. Brendan Rodgers initially was going to send Raheem Sterling out on loan, but Raheem Sterling due to his phenomenal improvement since July has changed his mind. There are others that need changing Brendan Rodgers mind on them, some have, some haven't. The ones that haven't may find themselves seeking new clubs.
I don't want Henderson to go, TBH. I see a lot of similarities between the Henderson situation and Lucas Leiva's first few seasons with us. Both players are highly rated (by the staff) at international level, with Lucas captaining Brazil at u20 level and Henderson captaining England at u21 level. Both had / have fans divided about their abilities / potential -- despite their international managers' faith. I see a lot of similarities in their play, too. Both very athletic, combative in the challenge, have good ball retention and short-passing skills. IMO, I think, as Henderson is younger and newer to Liverpool than Lucas, if he's given a couple of seasons he'll become an integral part of our team / squad.
Henderson and Shelvey are raw talents who aren't ready for the first team just yet. But I do think they both have futures with the club and will become big players. I just think they lack the intelligence to play in such a demandnig role. Central midfield is not all about making long, blistering runs down the middle, or crucnhing tackles anymore. It;s about keeping the ball, and winning it back quickly and efficently, and then starting the attack. I'm sure this intelligence will come with experience. The encouraging thing is that most of the players coming out of the academy seem to have this intelligence and Borrell has really drilled it into them the importance of developing the mental and technical aspects.
I agree with this. However Henderson is more powerfully built than Lucas was at the same age. It wasn't until Lucas was 23 that he hit the weights and made himself powerful. He then started imposing himself on the opposition. Henderson is a powerful boy, but he doesn't need to hit the weights like Lucas did, he needs the belief to go out and impose himself on the opposition. He could follow Shelveys example. Shelvey at 20 has learnt to do it, as he looked a bit lazy and sloppy until he went on loan to Blackpool. I believe that was the making of him.
I think henderson is FAR better player than shelvey... shelves got a lot of things going for him fine but henderson is the far more natural footballer and athlete. he played a genuine midfield position to my mind with sahin verses west brom and did really well. i for one think you are looking at a future england captain there.... lucas and henderson will captain thier countries.. of that iam sure.
In your opinion does Henderson need to be more aggressive? Is he too nice? He is a more natural athlete than Shelvey, and is a better user of a football, but he doesn't have Shelveys aggression.
A morphing of the 2 would be nice lol(aggression wise) Shelvey is getting too fired up like he's reacted to the criticism of being lazy. Nice to see him want to prove himself. Hopefully he'll find the happy medium. Hendo needs his time in his real position for us to judge. It's nice to have so many young problems. While none of them are near it yet at least we don't have that panicky feeling we use to get about replacing Gerrard. Same goes for Lucas now as well. Early yet though, lets take the pressure off; just slightly, pressure is good within reason.
I find it very hard to say who is the best player out of the two. They are both massive talents in my eyes. Henderson is naturally fitter than Shelvey, but Shelvey seems to player with that instinctual air to his game which Rooney and Gerrard seem to possess, which is a rare and valuable commodity. Shelvey I see as a box-to box player in the swashbuckling style of Stevie G. Henderson I see as a more pass-orientated player, with decent pressing and tackling, somewhat akin to Lucas and Allen. I think Shelvey has impressed more recently, but Henderson has been fairly solid, too. Very different players, for me, and so too hard to judge who is better, IMO. Both have the potential to be Red legends.
yes, valuable little something in shelvey that can change a game.... henderson is more like a lundberg or a... david platt or frank lampard... these guys maximise everything they have but are not going to turn a game o na moment of genius. i would call henderson, lucas and allen old school real centre midfielders, not DMs. at their bes tthey stay with play and the ball, not geting a head of it and abandoning position. we've real young talent i nthat position, just requires shaping. If we buy sahin (if we are that lucky) he's going to be a top talent too, shelvey would want to watch out there and keep his standard sup.
