Complete Analysis of Jordan Henderson's Role at Liverpool

Jordan Henderson is, irrefutably now, one of Liverpool’s most important players.

Under Reds manager Brendan Rodgers, the 24-year-old England man has undergone a transformation from one of the club’s more maligned figures to a leading feature of the Premier League.

This trajectory has been well-tread in analysis, of course—Henderson is no longer a left-field support, with the 2013/14 season announcing the midfielder as a true headline act.

The boy that joined Liverpool under Kenny Dalglish has now become a multi-faceted talent and arguably the key cog within Rodgers’ system on Merseyside.

That Henderson is still so young, and with great potential to develop, will be heartening for the Ulsterman—but where is the Liverpool man currently succeeding, and where can he improve?

Influence

With Henderson announced as Liverpool’s new vice-captain midway through September, this underlined the midfielder’s influence amongst the Reds squad adroitly.

On the pitch, the 24-year-old can be seen regularly barking at his teammates, with either encouragement or criticism; and elsewhere, his goal celebrations portray a unique glee stemming from pure passion.

Off the pitch, however, is where Henderson’s developing influence can be seen most remarkably.

The vice-captain’s quotes, assessing the England contribution of Raheem Sterling, show qualities of true leadership and a crucial familial effort.

As per The Guardian, Henderson maintained that:

[Sterling’s] a very level headed for a young lad his age. Hopefully he can continue improving and working hard.

[…]

He’s got the right people around him at the club and off the field as well. If he keeps working hard, with the players and the manager he has at Liverpool he can really kick on.

The midfielder, at such a young age himself, displays great intelligence and his conscientious effort to ground the swiftly developing Sterling is the work of a true captain-in-waiting.

Passing

It may be hard to believe now, but one of the main criticisms of Henderson’s game during his tumultuous early spell at the club was his passing ability.

Now, and rather significantly since towards the end of last season, the midfielder boasts an impeccable passing range, as well as an inspired creative mind.

Henderson outshone his compatriots throughout last season’s Premier League campaign with an incisive final-third contribution.

Furthermore, an 87.1 per cent passing accuracy last term, per WhoScored.com, shows an important ability to recycle possession with conviction.

This season, this creative nous has translated directly into assists from Henderson, with a pair to the midfielder’s name so far: Both resulting in Sterling strikes.

The first of 2014/15, a sublime, long-range curled through-ball saw the onrushing teenager through on Fraser Forster’s goal, allowing a composed finish to help the Reds on their way to seal their first three points of the season in a 2-1 victory at home to Southampton.

For his second, the Englishman’s typically gut-busting energy aided a fantastic run onto Daniel Sturridge’s pass.

A slotted cross-goal ball afforded Sterling a simple finish in the opening minutes of the Reds’ 3-0 thrashing of Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs.

If Henderson is to develop into a supreme passing authority in the Premier League, the midfielder will need to continue this direct contribution in the form of assists—with an enviable range at his disposal, this is far from out of the question.

Work Rate

Key to Henderson’s game, fundamentally, is a phenomenal work-rate.

Rodgers’ brand of high-tempo, pressing football puts emphasis on defending from the front foot; when the opposition is in possession, put them under as much pressure as possible, as quickly as possible.

Henderson’s ability to charge around the field, with no sign of tiring, is vital within this system; without the midfielder, the wheels fell off last season’s title charge.

According to BBC Sport’s Ben Smith, writing in his foreword to the season-review release "Make Us Dream" (h/t The Anfield Wrap), when Rodgers was asked when he knew the challenge had gone, he responded: “when Jordan got sent off against Man City. I knew I couldn’t replace him.”

Henderson’s contribution is central to Liverpool’s success and, along with a developing authority in influence and creativity, this can be found in his work rate.

In a study, courtesy of the Daily Mail, made last season, Henderson found himself fourth in terms of distance covered in the Premier League, and this is no surprise.

Furthermore, the midfielder has so far made 3.5 tackles and 1.8 interceptions on average per game this season, per WhoScored.

This is proving even more essential this season with Henderson deployed alongside the waning Steven Gerrard—the 24-year-old outpacing the Liverpool captain in order to close down Everton forward Kevin Mirallas in the recent Merseyside derby a fitting example of this.

Henderson’s work rate sets the pace of the game more often than not, and is vital for Rodgers’ Liverpool.

Goals?

One glaring omission from Henderson’s copybook as one of the league’s leading central midfielders comes in front of goal.

According to The Independent, at the start of this season, Rodgers challenged the midfielder to a target of “upwards of 10 goals” for 2014/15.

The manager’s assertion that “this year we are asking him to get more into the box” suggests that the role earmarked for Henderson in a Reds shirt is that of a Frank Lampard-esque midfielder, with a canny ability to find himself in the opposition penalty area at the right time.

So far, with a goal tally of zero from eight games, this may be seem somewhat of a pipedream at this juncture.

Precedent has shown that Henderson can get into the right positions, though.

The way in which the 24-year-old tracked Luis Suarez’s shot into the Swansea box in last season’s 4-3 Anfield win over Swansea City, allowing the Englishman to cease on the rebound following Michel Vorm’s initial parry, outlines Henderson’s intelligence in front of goal.

Furthermore, in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City during pre-season, with the Reds eventually victorious following a penalty shootout, Henderson’s curled effort from the edge of the area once more outlines the midfielder’s intuitive movement.

At times against City and throughout pre-season, Henderson was deployed in a more advanced role as part of a 4-2-3-1 formation—typically on the right-hand side of the attacking midfield.

This allowed the midfielder more freedom to find the goal, and display an impressive technique and composure.

At the moment in a Liverpool shirt, Henderson is being deployed—due to injuries to Joe Allen and Emre Can—in a deep-lying role alongside Gerrard.

This inhibits the midfielder’s ability to ghost into the box and hit the target.

Henderson’s remarkable development under Rodgers at Liverpool has made him not only one of the key players in this Reds squad, but also a player with the potential to become captain for both club and country, as well as one of the best players in the league.

To make this step up, however, the 24-year-old needs to be released from his shackles and make his composure count in front of goal.

Add goals and, arguably, Henderson will become the complete midfielder.

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