Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp gets irritated by Jordan Henderson question and insists he is not the problem
Speaking to the media ahead of the Merseyside Derby, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp got irked by the question about captain Jordan Henderson and insists he is not the problem (h/t Express).
Henderson has been in poor form throughout this season. In fact, since signing a new deal in 2021 summer, the club captain has looked past his best. While his weaknesses were covered by how well the team played last season, all of that has gotten exposed this time around.
When he was signing a new deal, the former Sunderland star was 31 years old. So, it was a mistake from the club to hand him a four-year extension. Now, since the start of last season, he has featured in 91 games for club and country.
Talking about the number of games Henderson has played and why he is not the problem, here’s Klopp (h/t Express):
“That’s a lot [91 games since the start of last season], absolutely. People don’t want to hear this kind of thing, but there must be reasons for a few things we have done this season.
“You don’t turn into bad people overnight or lose your football brain. Hendo is not a problem. He never was and never will be. If he is ready and in good shape, he plays 98 per cent of games or something like that.”
When asked the follow-up question on the same subject, Klopp got irritated and gave this response (h/t Express):
“He played as he’s a very, very important player for us. No other reason. When he’s not playing, you miss him. Easy as that.”
As much as people would deny it, there is a certain favouritism factor when Klopp talks about Henderson. While the captain has done so well for the club in the past, he has not been good enough for the past 18 months now.
While it is not a good idea to single out a player in press conferences, we have seen Klopp not being hesitant to about another player when he is in a bad form. For example, we heard him talk about Fabinho last week, without hesitation, on how the Brazilian is not in the best of forms and failing to win tackles in midfield.
But, who are we to question Klopp? He has his own ways to deal with players. We just hope that he finds a way to get the best out of the whole team for the games coming up, starting with against Everton on Monday.
