How Jürgen Klopp And Jordan Henderson Changed The Course Of Liverpool History

No footballer has connected with Liverpool’s global fanbase quite like Jordan Henderson did during the club’s Champions League celebrations.

From a joyous, slightly aggressive trophy lift to emotional moments with his father and then with head coach Jürgen Klopp on the pitch after the game, the images resonated with the supporters in the stadium and the millions watching around the world.

It’s now one month since those memorable moments in Madrid, and supporters are still sharing experiences, images, and videos across social media as the magnitude of the achievement continues to sink in.

The majority of these feature Henderson, and one particular image of an embrace with Klopp has already become iconic.

But the Liverpool captain’s journey to this moment has not been plain sailing, and this is one of the reasons the celebrations were so emotional and intense.

He was signed for the club from Sunderland by Kenny Dalglish back in 2011 for around $20 million. A year later, under new head coach Brendan Rodgers, he was being used as a makeweight in the club’s quest to sign American forward Clint Dempsey from Fulham.

The deal fell through, altering the course of history for Henderson and the club.

After Steven Gerrard left Liverpool for LA Galaxy in 2015, Henderson inherited the captain’s armband. Rodgers was replaced by Klopp in the same year, and the new boss was impressed by Henderson’s attitude and application, on and off the pitch.

“Captaincy feels like a joy in the first moment, and then from that moment on it is only work.” said Klopp of the role at the start of the 2018/19 season. 

“I don’t think if I asked in the dressing room ‘who wants to be captain next year?’ that 28 arms would go up.”

At the beginning of last season the arrival of big money signings Fabinho and Naby Keita suggested Henderson would spend much of the campaign on the sidelines as a back-up player, which also led to the idea that the captain’s armband would be given to central defender and Netherlands skipper, Virgil van Dijk.

“Hendo is doing an incredible job here,” added Klopp on the subject. 

“If you ask me ‘am I thinking about giving the armband to someone else?’ then no.”

On returning to Liverpool following an extended break, having been part of England’s 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia, Henderson acknowledged that it would be difficult for him to get into the team, but also stated that new signings and the competition for places they provide will be good for said team.

“There’s competition everywhere. All over the pitch we’ve got two or three players in the same position,” he said.

“It’s good competition. Everyone is pushing each other on in training to start. And if you don’t start you have to be ready to come on and make an impact. I feel as though we have got a fantastic squad.”

And Henderson’s role is all about the team. The 29-year-old would be the first to acknowledge that he’s not the best player on the Liverpool roster. He’s happy enough making sure others can shine.

But towards the end of the season Henderson persuaded Klopp to make a slight adjustment to his position, one which had a significant influence on the way Liverpool finished the season.

“Me and the gaffer [head coach] just had a conversation,” said Henderson after successful outings in the new position against Southampton and Porto.

“I don't think the manager had thought about it too much until I mentioned it to him. It was something that he said he would think about.

"He might not have seen me in that position too much. Obviously he'd seen the England games and I felt good playing in that position for England.

"I felt more comfortable and more natural, creating chances further up and doing what I enjoy doing. At the same time when I played No.6, I felt I've learned that position really well and if I need to play there I can do a job there."

Klopp’s willingness to take on board this suggestion from Henderson, and act accordingly, was one of the biggest and most important decisions he made in terms of the makeup of his first-team last season.

“He obviously likes the [attacking] position,” added the German. 

“So it was my fault that for one and a half years he was in a No. 6 position… sorry for that! But we needed him there!"

The emergence of Fabinho as Liverpool’s best No. 6—the position deep in midfield previously occupied by Henderson—facilitated this.

It gave Klopp an easy decision when choosing who would play in this important role in front of the defence, and meant the captain was now an option further forward. 

This was vital once it became clear Keita would miss the Champions League final after picking up an injury in the first-leg of the semi-final against Barcelona.

The discussion between player and coach, and the decision made as a result of it, made the club captain more valuable on the pitch and strengthened the team. Now he was effective as a player as well as a leader.

It improved the morale of the team, too. Henderson’s teammates were happy to see their captain performing well and, from their perspective, proving doubters wrong.

“Jordan Henderson must have lost count of the times he has had his ability questioned – although never by anyone who has been fortunate enough to work with him,” said Scottish left-back Andy Robertson prior to the final. 

“And here he is on the brink of captaining Liverpool in a second successive Champions League final.”

Ahead of that final you could have asked any Liverpool supporter or pundit to name their preferred starting XI, and almost all would have named a midfield containing Henderson and Fabinho.

The captain was no longer merely doing a job for the team, and he wasn’t just there to keep morale high, connect personalities, and allow others to play their game. He was also letting his soccer do the talking and making a difference on the pitch.

There a few better than Henderson at crossing the ball from the half space just outside the area. It’s quite a niche area to specialise in, but the change of position allowed him to do this more often.

No longer the deepest midfielder, and no longer central, he could provide an element of creativity to a midfield which had lacked it at times during the season.

Liverpool’s creativity generally comes from the flanks, evidenced by the number of assists racked up by full backs Robertson (13) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (15), but having an alternative outlet was handy.

Prior to the change of position the captain had contributed directly to none of Liverpool’s goals, but after that game against Southampton the Englishman notched up five assists and a goal in nine starts as a No. 8.

There were few good performances in the Champions League final, on either side, but it felt like Liverpool had won this trophy in that semi-final second-leg against Barcelona, and the momentum heading into that game was built during the period towards the end of the season when Henderson was playing further forward.

When fringe player Divock Origi arrived in the team to fell Barça at Anfield, and score the second goal in the final, the camaraderie within the group, especially among those not playing regularly, was shown to be more important than ever.

Henderson epitomises this, and once the final whistle blew in Madrid he was able to transfer this spirit and emotion to the fans like few players could.