5 things Liverpool got wrong in 2017

#5 Sticking with Jordan Henderson as captain

Liverpool's midfield may no longer need captain Jordan Henderson

Once upon a time – back in 2013/14 – Jordan Henderson was seen as a potentially great Liverpool midfielder, and the possible heir to the throne about to be vacated by the legendary Steven Gerrard. And so it made sense to crown him the new club captain when Gerrard departed in the summer of 2015. But in 2017, is he still the right man for the job? This season thus far would probably suggest the answer is no, and Klopp keeping faith in him is a mistake.

Firstly, there’s the question of exactly what he appears to do in Liverpool’s midfield. He isn’t the strongest creative player they have – that title firmly belongs to Philippe Coutinho. And as a holding midfielder, he simply isn’t as effective as Emre Can or Georginio Wijnaldum. Nobody would question Henderson’s effort on the pitch – few players cover as much ground as he does, but in a team chasing Champions League and Premier League glory it simply isn’t good enough to have a player who wastes possession with so many misplaced long passes.

The issue is that he’s been left as club captain despite clearly no longer being the best man for the job. Klopp has shown he’s not afraid to leave Henderson out of his starting line-up – he missed the key Champions League fixture against Spartak Moscow a couple of weeks ago despite being fit – but as captain, he’ll always remain a forefront of the squad – even if he doesn’t deserve to be. If Klopp does anything in 2018, it probably needs to involve choosing a new captain, as Henderson, unfortunately, isn’t up to the job.