• Home
• World Football

ESPN FC's Steve Nicol has his say on Jurgen Klopp's team selection for Liverpool's draw with Chelsea.

Liverpool have had a lot of varied criticism thrown their way in the opening four months of the season, and much of it resurfaced following Saturday's 1-1 home draw with defending Champions, Chelsea. Disappointment at failing to hold on to another lead is understandable, yet much of the wailing and gnashing of teeth afterwards is not.

The Reds played well against a team that most would consider to be superior. A draw was a fair result but Chelsea needed Willian's fluke goal to deny Liverpool. So why all the criticism? This time it was Simon Mignolet being blamed (unfairly), as well as Jurgen Klopp for resting Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. Klopp's tactical switches and in-game use of substitutes also came in for heavy fire, yet without Willian's strike those pragmatic moves would have been hailed as sensible and professional.

It's a fine line that Liverpool walk these days and perhaps only Arsenal come in for the same degree of micro-scrutiny from their own supporters.

Liverpool fans have a long list of gripes:

The centre forward doesn't score enough goals. The midfield don't score enough and they don't protect the defence as well as they should either. The centre-backs are poor and need replacing. The left-back is an accident waiting to happen. The team can't defend set-pieces. They can't close out games. The goalkeeper is a weak link. The manager's use of substitutes is poor.

Those are just the more common ones, the list could easily drag into another couple of paragraphs.

These complaints do have varying degrees of validity and none are totally unjust, yet if things were as bad as supporters often seem to think they are, Liverpool would be Everton.

Another gripe that rears up after every disappointing result or performance is that Jordan Henderson isn't a suitable captain. Again, there is merit to that if you're comparing him Liverpool's great leaders of the past; men like Tommy Smith, Emlyn Hughes, Graeme Souness, Steven Gerrard and others. Henderson clearly does not come into that category, but if there was anyone at Anfield who did then Henderson would not have the job.

There isn't though. Like it or not, Henderson is the most suitable captain Liverpool have. He doesn't tick every box but he ticks more than any of his current teammates do. Firstly, he is in the team every week when fit and that is important. He has the respect of his teammates, he's a model professional and he's also one of the only players Liverpool have who is prepared to get in the ear of the referee and put his team's case forward.

That doesn't make him the perfect choice but it does make him the best one from the group of players, so complaining about his leadership capabilities when there is nobody better to replace him is all a bit pointless.

Jordan Henderson's captain credentials have come under question but he retains the support of Jurgen Klopp.

It would be more understandable if Liverpool's rivals were all blessed with inspirational leaders. They aren't. The closest thing to a traditional captain is Vincent Kompany at Manchester City, but he's hardly ever available due to ongoing injury problems. Who is City's captain in his absence? Anyone know? Anyone?

How about Manchester United; who is their skipper? A lot of you reading this won't know, and the chances are some won't know who Arsenal's captain is either.

For the record, United's captain is Michael Carrick, who isn't guaranteed his place in the team and has the armband due to long service and being a good pro. Are United fans continually bemoaning that he isn't Bryan Robson or Roy Keane? Perhaps they are, but any hysteria about United's captaincy doesn't seem to be as widespread as the continual Henderson bashing.

Arsenal's captain is Per Mertesacker. In his frequent absences, Laurent Koscielny usually has the armband, while Arsene Wenger has recently suggested that Aaron Ramsey is in line to one day inherit the captaincy. Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira have long since left the building.

Tottenham are skippered by their goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, which is a little odd given that they are the one top club that are blessed with genuine captain material in Jan Vertonghen and Harry Kane.

Gary Cahill leads Chelsea, but he falls squarely into the Henderson category. Good pro, England regular, but there are plenty of his own supporters who would happily see their team go out and find an upgrade on him, captain or not. The truth is there are no great captains anymore and this is not just a Liverpool problem.

Not so long ago the captains of the "big six" clubs were iconic figures whose names rolled off the tongue. Gerrard, Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, John Terry, Ledley King and, erm ... Richard Dunne. The game has changed a lot in recent seasons (especially at Manchester City) and leadership now comes more from the touchline than it does from the pitch and this is why the continual singling out of Henderson is unfair.

Liverpool supporters need to realise that Souness or Ron Yeats will not be walking through the door any time soon. Henderson doesn't compare favourably with his predecessors but if you look around the league you'll see he's not alone in that.

Dave Usher is one of ESPN's Liverpool bloggers and the founder of LFC fanzine and website The Liverpool Way. Follow him on Twitter: @theliverpoolway.

Comments

Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.

Source: espn.co.uk