Jurgen Klopp flags Jordan Henderson’s importance as Liverpool’s standard-setter

The captain has a new banner on the Kop, the recognition he has deserved for so long

On Sunday late afternoon, as Liverpool worked through their routine warm-up at Anfield before overcoming Manchester United, a few of the players spotted something novel.

Jordan Henderson was one of them, and in truth, it was hard for him to miss it.

The crowning moment of the midfielder’s career, his face reflecting in the European Cup as he held it aloft, was immortalised on a striking new banner on the Kop.

Stationed behind the goal to the left, the flag had a white background and captured the essence of that scene at the Wanda Metropolitano superbly.

Henderson’s eyes are closed just as they were when the trophy was above his head on 1 June, the 29-year-old’s face a medley of emotion after Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0 to lift the first piece of silverware of the Jurgen Klopp era.

‘Madrid 19’ is written underneath the graphic of the captain, mirroring the official font used during the Champions League campaign.

Henderson was so moved by the banner he personally thanked Spion Kop 1906, the group in charge of creating and organising the displays in the famed stand.

The skipper, his name reverberating around the ground, was man of the match against United and has been a man possessed this season.

Henderson has driven Liverpool’s relentless approach through a record-breaking run, and his performances have deservedly catapulted him into the conversation for England’s standout player of 2019-20.

“Wasn’t good enough” was the England international’s assessment at Tottenham, when a 1-0 victory ensured Klopp’s side recorded the best start to a campaign of any team in the history of Europe’s top five leagues, with a staggering tally of 61 points from 21 matches.

The win also set a new benchmark haul of 104 over a rolling 38-game period in the division, but the skipper was frustrated that Liverpool did not kill the game off earlier.

Henderson repeated that assertion in the aftermath of the 2-0 triumph over United. Like Liverpool, like Klopp, his high standards are unrelenting.

There has belatedly been growing external realisation of the player’s importance in the dressing room and on the pitch.

Henderson’s game has hit new heights since Madrid, which is some achievement considering the gigantic displays he turned in last season.

Part of his renaissance has been a result of Klopp helping him filter out the noise. The manager had been aware of the unfair and often incorrect criticisms of Henderson’s performances and made sure his voice cut through all other commentary.

“People maybe [the fans] needed to get used to it that somebody who is not Steven Gerrard has the captain’s armband,” Klopp said.

“Hendo didn’t get the credit he would have deserved. There were a lot of good games, which were not seen as good games before last season.

“I got told that, I didn’t realise it. Thank God somebody told me so I could help him maybe a little bit to judge these things right.

“I don’t read newspapers, but I hear that people are not happy with this or this or this and I can then react to that.

“It’s important that I can say I’m completely happy with the performance even when the public perception is different – you get grades that look like you weren’t really relevant on the pitch and if I see it differently, then I tell it to the players.

Jordan Henderson after the win over United (Reuters)

“I know exactly what was expected so it’s the more important feedback.

“If you fulfilled that job, it’s good. If he scores two goals, but other things went wrong for example, then I would tell him as well.

“That’s what a coach does. I need to know about these things so I can work with it.”

Klopp saluted Henderson’s “natural quality, power, his speed, the desire he puts on the pitch,” but noted he “is now calmer in certain situations. His self-awareness, self-confidence grew again.”

Being so pivotal to Liverpool securing a sixth European Cup was important for that development, with the manager likening it to a situation he had while at the Borussia Dortmund helm.

“That helps for sure. It’s clear. No-one can take that away from him,” Klopp responded when asked if Henderson has a swagger about him since the Champions League triumph.

“I had a similar situation with Sebastian Kehl at Dortmund. He became the only captain in the history of the club to lift the Bundesliga trophy and the Cup [DFB-Pokal] trophy because we won the double [in 2012]. That stays forever and that’s cool.

“But those are the nice moments. There are a lot of moments around for a skipper where you have to do a lot of things which you probably don’t expect before you get the armband.”

Earlier this year, Virgil van Dijk said: “If any young player wants to follow an example, it should be him. He has been putting the team before himself for years. What I like is that he uses everything he has experienced – the lows, the criticism, the trouble with injuries – to help others through similar situations.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, accepted Liverpool “wouldn’t be where we are now without him.”

The words that keep bubbling to the fore, though, are the ones Klopp said in the immediate aftermath of the trophy lift in Madrid.

“Jordan Henderson is the captain of the 2019 Champions League winners. That is satisfying,” the German stated.

It will be even more satisfying when he can say that Jordan Henderson is the captain of the Premier League winners.

Spion Kop 1906 may need to get to work on another banner.