Andy Robertson was thankful to Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson for setting the tone during The Reds high-energy win over Manchester United last night.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were quick out of the blocks, scoring two goals to virtually kill the game inside the opening 25 minutes.
Speaking to LFCTV GO, Robertson said it was typical of Henderson’s leadership that he directed Liverpool’s high-intensity press in the early exchanges.
“Hendo set the tone first five, ten minutes with his pressing and high energy and everyone just followed suit,” said Robbo.
“That’s what a captain does, Hendo’s done it many-a-time for us, and he did it again tonight. We all just fed off his energy and we just went for it. Our counter press was on such a high level tonight, putting them under pressure and the goals weren’t too bad as well.”
Henderson was outshone by Thiago Alcantara in Liverpool’s midfield three last night. That’s not to take away from his own performance though, Thiago was simply mesmeric.
But the captain certainly played his part in a famous win, too. Whilst occasionally careless with his passing, his determination to win every ball back set that stage for the evening. United couldn’t live with it and capitulated.
Not as easy as it looks
Robertson’s praise highlights the importance of how Klopp’s midfield three set Liverpool up to suffocate their opponent.
If the intensity isn’t quite there from the trio in the middle of the pitch, Liverpool can sometimes look easy to play through.
That kind of thing doesn’t come overnight, though. Learning when to press, what triggers to look out for, and when to drop off takes time working together on the training ground.
The specifics of the job Klopp wants his midfield to do goes some way to explaining Thiago’s slow start at Liverpool. Now that the Spaniard is fully up to speed though, he is looking like the world-class midfielder The Reds thought they were signing in 2020.
Alongside him, Henderson and Fabinho have had years to take on board the manager’s demands.
Klopp’s midfield options
Those are the three that seem to be Klopp’s go-to just at the moment. Naby Keita is pushing hard for a starting spot though and is possibly in his best ever form for Liverpool.
Add James Milner and Curtis Jones into the mix, and they seem to be the six midfielders that the manager is going to lean on for the rest of the campaign.
Harvey Elliott seems to have fallen out of favour slightly as he continues to get up to speed after his injury lay-off. Meanwhile Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s time at the club looks to be coming to an end having been left out of the squad again last night.
Whoever it may be to play in Klopp’s midfield three, they should use Henderson, Thiago and Fabinho’s pressing against United as the blueprint from which to work from.
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