There can be no denying that Liverpool are on a bad run of form, although the three defeats in four games sounds worse than it is. The Reds lost again last night, falling to a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea. Speaking after the game, Gary Lineker insisted that Jordan Henderson could boost his Player of the Year credentials by not even playing.
The Reds skipper has been missing from the side since the 1-0 loss at Atletico Madrid.
The captain pulled up lame towards the end of the game and was substituted for James Milner in the 80th minute.
With the leader out for another week or two at the very best, we have seen his absence visibly shake the team.
There has been a clear lack of a commanding presence out on the field.
Gary Lineker has been emphatic in his assessment of Jordan Henderson in the 29-year-old’s absence.
What RTK has to say
Well, he’s not far wrong.
Hendo’s injury has certainly caused problems for The Reds. The tempo and determination he brings to the midfield has been sorely missed in recent weeks.
Against Chelsea we never saw the lads find any regular rhythm in the game, they were utterly dominated in the middle of the park.
We can be in no doubt that if the captain was there he wouldn’t have allowed Chelsea as much of the ball as they had.
Lineker is spot on with his assessment that Hendo’s Player of the Year credentials have been given a boost by this poor patch of form, many neutrals fail to appreciate what the skipper does because he isn’t a glamour player, now that he’s missing you can see exactly what he brings.
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