Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has rubbished recent reports suggesting the Reds’ attacking trident are struggling to hit the heights of last season.
Roberto Firmino, Mohamad Salah and Sadio Mane were sensational last campaign, collectively scoring 91 goals as the Reds reached the Champions League final.
The attacking trio captivated the world with their fluid movement and goalscoring potency, but they have so far only netted 11 goals, leading to questions about their capacity to replicate last season’s form.
However, Henderson has branded any such questions “nonsense” as the front three have scored the same number of goals in the league now as they had done a year ago, and believes the club are producing performances on a par with the standards they set last term.
“I know there is a lot of discussion externally at the moment about how we are getting results and comparisons being made to previous Liverpool sides of the last few years,” the skipper wrote in Liverpool’s official matchday programme (via the Liverpool Echo).
“Just to be clear, as the gaffer has said repeatedly, it’s not a case of looking to sacrifice adventure and attack to become more solid. In fact, I think some of the football we have played so far this season has been as good as anything at this stage of a campaign I’ve been involved with.
“From my position on the pitch I have a pretty decent view of what is happening ahead of me and the shift the front lads are putting in means we set the tone for a more solid approach. I really don’t buy into the talk that they’re not as fluid as they were last season – that’s nonsense for me.
“Of course we know we need to improve, but that should be a given regardless. So far we’ve been unlucky in front of goal, but again that’s common in the first few months of a season. I think back to the game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. We were as incisive and creative as in any big game I can remember, but the chances didn’t quite fall or their keeper produced a ‘worldie’.
“This is the stage of the season where you are finding rhythm and fluency, where you’re getting right into the groove. But I think we have taken steps forward, as a team and squad, when it comes to maturity in game management and making sure we make better decisions, individually and collectively, at crucial points in matches in order to see them through.
“Under the gaffer and his staff, we’re always being given messages and lessons to learn in training, but it’s our job as players to then ensure that’s delivered in a match environment. What is important is that credit for the improvement in maturity and game-management is shared around the entire team and that includes our attacking players as much as anyone else.”
Defensive issues resolved
While many may believe the attacking trident are not firing on all cylinders, there has been one significant change in Liverpool’s overall gameplay: the defence.
So far the club have conceded just three Premier League goals compared to the 16 they conceded at this same stage last year, including a clean sheet against Manchester City, and just two goals conceded against Tottenham and Chelsea in total.
Virgil van Dijk has brought some much-needed aggression and resilience to the back-four while Alisson has provided a safer pair of hands between the sticks, though Henderson refused to head praise on specific individuals, instead lauding every aspect of the squad.
He added: “I remember when we were under severe criticism in recent seasons for the supposed defensive issues. The gaffer was always insistent that every player on the pitch was responsible for the good and the bad – both in an attacking and defensive sense.
“I keep hearing, including from friends and family, people saying, “You wouldn’t have won that game last season…”
“Although that’s hypothetical, it’s hard to argue with it. It’s not that we’ve changed anything fundamental in approach or preparation – I just think we have grown and developed as a team together, through work at Melwood and through shared experiences on the pitch.
“We attack as a team and we defend as a team and that is where we have matured without doubt.
“But – and this is important – it’s still only a start and we know we must maintain this approach if a good start is to go on and become a good first half of the season and then, most importantly, a good end.”
Liverpool next face Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The post Jordan Henderson hits back at “nonsense” going around about Liverpool trio appeared first on Squawka News.
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