When Graeme Souness was dominating Liverpool’s midfield, his manager Bob Paisley summed up his gifts: “Most midfields are made up of a buzzer, a cruncher and a spreader. This boy is all three.”
Liverpool could have done with just one of them among the three players they had in midfield at Turf Moor on Saturday as they lost to Burnley. They had no buzz, crunch or, er, spread, but they lacked something else as well.
As Liverpool chased the game, as they compiled stats which seemed to want to win the argument for everyone who claims that stats are meaningless, they might have hoped for something more from their midfield.
Georginio Wijnaldum is a new signing who impressed against Arsenal last week, as did Adam Lallana who has at times looked more like a £25 million player under Jurgen Klopp, but neither made an impression against Burnley.
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Liverpool had 26 shots against Burnley, but most of them seemed to reveal a desperation that nothing else was happening, rather than a belief they could score.
It was too easy to blame the goals they conceded on Alberto Moreno last weekend, but the Burnley game showed that the problems are deeper. Burnley weren’t Arsenal so once they had a lead they were going to be difficult to break down, something that seemed to surprise Liverpool.
Lallana was among those randomly shooting, but mainly he was part of a Liverpool midfield that exchanged a series of inoffensive passes, linking too with Jordan Henderson who seemed happy for most people to be unaware that he was playing.
Henderson is Liverpool’s captain. Captain is essentially a meaningless role which has no great influence, but the captain is often expected to be the player most likely to influence the team. This is why he ends up as captain in the first place. It suggests a seniority and a permanence which in the case of Henderson is hard to understand.
He had no influence on the game on Saturday, let alone an influence over others. Henderson isn’t suited to the holding midfield role, but sometimes it’s hard to figure out what role he is suited to.
Like many who are not suited to the holding role, Henderson interprets it as conservatively as possible. 91 per cent of his passes were completed against Burnley. Most of them went sideways. There was no sense of a player trying to change the pace of the game or to push Liverpool forward as they chased the game. This seemed to be somebody else’s role in the side and Henderson was content to do complete his safe passes and watch as others attempted to score.
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He took no shots, which may have been a wise move given that many Liverpool players seemed to have no strategy other than to shoot and there was no point joining in.
But Liverpool need more from a player who completes a checklist for a modern conservative midfielder, and once again it was hard to figure out exactly what Henderson was supposed to be doing.
During Liverpool’s title challenge in 2014, Henderson was an essential part of the transformation of the side. He went a year without missing a league game and when he was sent off against Manchester City in the run-in, it was rightly seen as a blow to the side.
Then he offered energy and direction in a midfield which needed discipline and purpose. With Steven Gerrard holding while Raheem Sterling and Coutinho supported Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, Henderson became a vital presence. But as he stood out, he also happily blended into the background.
But that may be the difference. Then he was providing key assistance in a side that had strong men like Gerrard and Suarez. He was the willing and essential runner without whom none of it would have been possible, but the current Liverpool side needs a lot more.
They are a team where the biggest personality is the manager prowling on the sideline. They have gifted players like Coutinho and Sturridge, but they need more from those who are supposed to be the leaders in the side. Emre Can could come into the side and offer more in that position, but where Henderson goes then will be significant.
There were stories at the end of last season that Tottenham were preparing a bid for Henderson. How he adapts to the type of football Klopp wants and where he plays will have a bearing on Liverpool’s season. Klopp won’t be influenced by the fact that Henderson is Liverpool’s captain. Henderson is the type of captain who wouldn’t want it any other way.
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