Jordan Henderson and Alisson Becker appeared to make up at full-time of Liverpool’s game with Chelsea on Tuesday.
The pair had clashed during the second-half of the 0-0 draw. Henderson had appeared unhappy with Alisson’s communication – or lack of it – with his centre-halves.
Replays caught the captain virtually squaring up with the goalkeeper, and exchanging a few angry words.
Obviously, the footage was worrying from a Liverpool point of view. It’s never a good look to see teammates arguing and it isn’t the first time it’s happened to the Reds this season.
But thankfully, Liverpool cameras captured Henderson and Alisson reconciling at the full-time whistle. As per the club’s ‘Inside’ series on liverpoolfc.com, the pair hugged it out on the pitch at Stamford Bridge. Walking towards the tunnel together, they give a pat on the back each as they depart the field. All forgotten, friends again. Good.
Henderson pulls ranks on Ali
The most galling thing about this unsavoury incident on Tuesday is that it involved Liverpool’s best player of the season. Not only has Alisson been the best of the Reds squad, he’s arguably been the only one performing at his true level all campaign.
If any one of this Liverpool team should be exempt from criticism this season, it’s Ali. He hasn’t been perfect, there have been a couple of costly errors. But by and large, he’s been absolutely superb. Without the Brazilian, Liverpool could reasonably be in a relegation fight.
That might sound like hyperbole to some, but plenty of Liverpool fans will know that that is the truth. Allison has kept the Reds position in the table at least somewhat respectable.
To many, Jordan Henderson encapsulates the opposite of that. The captain has struggled especially since the World Cup and has had fingers pointed at him from every direction.
As the captain and standard-setter of a club continually failing to fulfil its potential, that’s fair. But some of the criticism of Henderson has been far too over the top as well. Either way, the sight of him going spare at Alisson on Tuesday has upset a fair few Liverpool fans.
But as the standard-setter, isn’t that exactly what Reds fans want from their skipper? No matter how good Ali has been this season, if he makes sloppy errors, he too should be called out for them. As one of the most experienced members of the team, you’d think the ‘keeper would accept that. Thankfully, it seems he does. Had Henderson been dishing out the same kind of critique to some of the rest of his teammates this season, maybe we’d be in a better position than we are.
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