OPINION
At this point we’re beyond claiming that Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is underrated. He’s always going to have his detractors, but intelligent football fans know how good he is.
However, the full extent of his importance to Jurgen Klopp’s team is probably still not gauged correctly by the majority of people. We saw in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Burnley, though, just how crucial the Englishman is to everything the Reds do.
He didn’t score and he failed to grab an assist, but the 29-year-old was absolutely everywhere, proving that he is worth every penny of the £140,000-per-week Liverpool are currently paying him [Source: Spotrac].
It was an all-action display from Henderson, where he did a little bit of everything. The statistics, courtesy of WhoScored.com, are telling in the extreme.
He completed 31 passes on Saturday, but contributed a whopping five crosses, joint second out of all Liverpool players. That meant that he was constantly looking to put the Burnley defence under pressure.
Henderson also attempted six long balls forward, with four of them finding their intended target. The former Sunderland man also made a tackle, clearance and two key passes, while being fouled once as well.
No one particular statistic stands out, but when you put them all together it makes things extremely tough for the opposition. In a tough game against a stubborn Burnley side, this sort of performance was absolutely necessary for Klopp’s team.
While Henderson’s fellow central midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum is sometimes criticised for being too passive, the Englishman has added an extra offensive ingredient to his game over the past year that makes him absolutely vital to this Liverpool side.
His value, not always recognised by the supporters, was in full evidence once again on Saturday. He is very much a crucial cog in the Klopp machine.
