How do you replace a legend? Jordan Henderson on following Steven Gerrard as Liverpool captain

For Jordan Henderson, the idea that he is replacing the irreplaceable is a reality that he lives with every day.

The successor to Steven Gerrard in Liverpool and England’s midfield has also taken on the captaincy role for club and possibly also country that his predecessor filled with such distinction.

Following another week when Gerrard’s achievements for both have once again been celebrated upon the announcement of his retirement from football, the sense that Henderson has taken on a particularly tall order has been renewed.

Henderson knows this. He has been asked about it before and will be asked about it again. It is inevitable that he will be judged against the man who went before and even if to do so isn’t necessarily fair, it is in keeping with the standards that go hand in hand with holding high office at one of world football’s biggest and most successful clubs.

Henderson doesn’t complain, he accepts the responsibilities that accompany the armband he wears on a match day, but he does choose to deal with it in a way that means he aspires to fill the role to the best of his ability rather than putting himself under the pressure of having to achieve whatever Gerrard did.

“There can never be another Steven Gerrard, whether that’s as a player, a captain or whatever,” says Henderson, who is speaking to us in his role as brand ambassador for MaxiNutrition. Henderson explains the thought process behind what appears to be a wholly necessary and wholly logical coping mechanism:

“Steven grew up in Liverpool, he supported Liverpool, he led Liverpool, he lifted the European Cup for Liverpool; you could go on and on about what he’s done for this club and what he means to this city and its people. He is a one off. What he has done will probably never happen again so I didn’t look at it as though I was trying to succeed him or emulate him.

“I look upon it as just trying to captain a very good side, one that I believe can be successful, in my own way, leading by example and trying to help the players like he helped all of us on and off the field. All I can do is do the best that I can.”

As things stand, thirteen games into a Premier League season that promises to be one of the most competitive in recent memory, the best of Henderson and of Liverpool has helped player to establish himself in a deeper midfield role and team to enjoy a promising start to the campaign which sees them lie second in the table.

Inevitably, that has prompted title talk on Merseyside and beyond with Jurgen Klopp viewing such excitement as dangerous because it can either cause the kind of giddiness that can derail challenges for honours or induce a complacency that has a similar effect.

As such, the Liverpool players discuss the possibility of winning the title about as often as an actor mentions Macbeth. Another coping mechanism has been devised in an attempt to prevent the legends of the past from impacting negatively on those charged with living up to previous achievements. It might feel like a game, one in which everyone knows the truth that dare not speak its name, but Klopp regards it as a totally necessary one, particularly given the Liverpool manager’s view that there are those outside the club who would happily kill its dreams with kindness.

As his master’s most senior voice, Henderson does not divert from Klopp’s preferred script. It is okay to recognise the excitement that is building and to hope that it grows still further but under no circumstances must any suggestions be made by a Liverpool player that they view themselves as serious title contenders even if numerous others, including rival managers and players, are coming to that very conclusion.

“I definitely feel we’ve got a really strong and confident team so we’re playing for something now but what that is we don’t know yet,” Henderson maintains. “We are playing to win every game and we are looking to play as well as we can in every game but we don’t know exactly what it is that we’re playing for yet.

“We’ll only find that out maybe in five months time so you can’t lose your focus by thinking about what might be, it’s about now and trying to win games every week. Everyone else can talk, make noise and get excited but for us it’s business as usual, it’s learning from one game to the next and trying to get better all the time.

“There’s an excitement about the place. Everyone is getting excited, especially the fans, but as a team we’ve got to stay focused about what we want to achieve and keep our minds on what we want to do. If we do that the excitement will grow. There’s already a good feeling at Anfield and at the training ground and a lot of that is down to the manager and what he’s created since he came in. Now we want to keep it going but that means not getting complacent.”

One of the most impressive elements of Liverpool’s early season form, along with the potency of their attack, has been the manner in which Henderson, Adam Lallana and James Milner have adapted to new positions in the team, ones which few outside of Klopp himself believed any of the trio were ideally suited to.

While Lallana has been a revelation in a deeper midfield role and Milner has taken to left back, Liverpool’s long term problem position, as if he has always played there, Henderson has established himself as a holding midfielder after Klopp convinced him that he had the natural attributes to make the position his own.

Again, dropping back from an attacking role to a more defensive one meant Henderson would be emulating Gerrard in another way but with Klopp urging him to do it his way rather than looking to mimic anyone else, the 26-year-old has been able to meet the challenge head on without the additional pressure of constantly asking himself what other midfielders would do.

“The manager wants me to put my own stamp on the position so it’s not about looking at anyone else, it’s about me understanding the role and growing into it and I think that’s happening,” Henderson explains.

“We didn’t speak that much about it I’d first because I’d played there a little bit during pre-season but the conversations I’ve had with the manager were on the basis that it was very similar to what I’d done before – it’s still midfield after all.

“The differences now were that I would be playing with a little bit more discipline and with a little bit more thought for giving protection to the other players when they go forward.”

“The manager also brought Adam (Lallana) infield to play in the middle a bit more and that looks like a stroke of genius when you consider how well he’s been playing so there’s been a few of us who’ve been adapting to slightly different roles and up to now it’s worked pretty well.

“Adam and Milly both fall into that category, they’ve both been outstanding, and in my case I’ve just been trying to do what I’ve always done but without running forward as much. That’s what the conversations with the manager have been about – what I can do for the team rather than what I feel I can do myself and I think that was brilliant by the manager.

“In the past maybe I’ve tried to do everything and I know that’s good in one way because it shows you have a good attitude and want to help but it can be a negative in terms of team shape and tactics and that’s why the manager has looked to bring more discipline to my game. It’s definitely helped me and the team.

“He’s not one of the best managers in the world for nothing. He can see what players are capable of, knows what he wants them to do and recognises what he needs to do to get the best out of them. He’s doing that with everyone. Not just the ones who are starting regularly, also the players who are ready to come in. He’s getting the best out of everyone.”

While others, most notably Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, dominate the headlines, the less attention grabbing role that Henderson performs is given most recognition by his manager and team mates. As the player who has made more passes than any other in the Premier League so far this season, the 26-year-old is the one who keeps Liverpool ticking over. As the player who has also made the second highest number of tackles in the division, he is also the one who protects their increasingly effective defence.

Jordan Henderson is a Maximuscle athlete and was speaking following the launch of Maximuscle’s new range of raw ingredient powders, now available at maximuscle.com.

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