Liverpool are in the Club World Cup final. The Reds beat Monterrey on Tuesday evening to set up a clash with Brazilian side Flamengo on Saturday afternoon. With Virgil van Dijk absent due to illness, Jordan Henderson filled in at centre back. Whilst the selection set alarm bells ringing, Hendo at centre back could work in future fixtures.
The skipper performed well against Monterrey. For a player that has never played at centre half for the club he put in an admirable shift. Sure, there were a few shaky moments but for the most part Hendo can be extremely pleased with his display.
Whilst we were forced into this change by the absence of Virgil van Dijk, playing Jordan Henderson at centre back is a bold move that is perfect for certain games.
Firstly, we must stress that the captain should only line up in the backline again if it is next to Big Virg. Joe Gomez is a terrific defender but not cover-for-an-out-of-position-midfielder good yet. Big Virg would be able to mop up if the skipper were to be caught out of position.
We saw against Monterrey that Henderson offered a different dynamic to the defence when he carried the ball out. The Mexican side sat back for the most part. They invited pressure and looked the break.
In games where the Reds need a win and the opposition are likely to park the bus, playing Jordan Henderson at centre back could offer us a different dynamic.
Hendo’s passing ability is undeniable and if we are set to dominate possession it would be useful to drop him into the back line, giving us license to play with more offensive midfielders.
This is something we have seen Barcelona do over the years. Sergio Busquets has filled in at the back when needed, Javier Mascherano was converted into a full time centre back despite his diminutive figure. Like Barcelona, we dominate possession – we should take a leaf out of their book and consider playing Jordan Henderson at centre back more often.
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