Sunderland fans are rightly proud of Jordan Henderson and it's time everyone else was too
If you believe the self-proclaimed football experts on social media, and some in the actual media, a highlight of England’s win over Senegal was the ‘surprisingly’ excellent performance of Jordan Henderson.
There was no surprise in Sunderland and Liverpool, of course. Those two particular clubs don’t have an awful lot in common on the pitch, but they know just how good Jordan Henderson is. I mean, it’s not exactly hard to spot, is it?
Or, at least, it shouldn’t be. Liverpool and Sunderland fans have been bemused by the lack of respect and appreciation Henderson receives in general for years. But now it has reached the point where even his England teammates are bemused enough to feel the need to publicly challenge it too.
“It’s ridiculous,” Bellingham said of the criticism Henderson receives. “[Henderson is] so underrated technically and he’s delivered in a big game with a massive game so I think it’s about time he gets respect.”
Former England legend Stuart Pearce also weighed in urging fans to finally acknowledge the quality of Henderson, saying: “This kid was my Under-21 captain back in 2011 and I saw the leadership. You need a Jordan Henderson in every team. He knits it together on and off the training pitch.”
The message is definitely not getting through, though. The ‘Jordan Henderson should be nowhere near this England team’ people have simply become ‘he had a great game against poor opposition, but...’ people following the Senegal win. It was as predicted as it was depressing.
“If you are looking for a team that is going to dominate the midfield, I think Henderson may come up a bit short,” Simon Jordan said on talkSPORT following the game, for example. He is far from alone.
However, let’s be honest here: it is utterly ridiculous and a crushing indictment of the collective football knowledge of English fans in general that Jordan Henderson being superb has surprised anyone at all.
Fans who have watched him every week throughout his career are fully aware of how good Henderson is and has always been.
Every manager Henderson has ever played for too, except maybe Brendan Rodgers but including the notoriously tough-to-please Roy Keane, have had nothing but glowing praise for him too. You would think that would provide a clue for the naysayers too.
It’s not, though. Because, you know, ‘what does that Jurgen Klopp bloke know about football anyway,’ apparently, according to some.
If people’s own eyes were letting them down in spotting Jordan Henderson’s obviously elite footballing ability, then they could have always looked at his record. After all, we are talking about an English player who has captained a club to both Premier League and Champions League titles. It is not exactly a long list of players available to England that have done that.
It is basically Jordan Henderson and Rio Ferdinand. John Terry famously tried to pretend he did it once, but in the Champions League final that Chelsea won when he was there, he didn’t even lace his boots until the trophy came out (in full kit).
But, of course, England fans think that is the kind of leadership and proven big-game mentality that they can do without. Meanwhile, Declan Rice, who has never even kicked a ball in the Champions League and has a medal draw emptier than Newcastle’s trophy cabinet, gets widespread acceptance as a hallmark of quality.
Henderson, by comparison, has won the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the World Club Cup, as well as playing in the final of the Europa League and European Championships. He’s the one there are question marks over, though? All a fluke? Coincidence? Dumb luck? Really?
Much of this does, inevitably come down to image. Henderson has neither the social-media friendly showboating highlight reel that catches the eye of the FIFA-playing crowd. Rice doesn’t either, but he does have the southern-based often West Ham-loving media to promote his image. And none of this is intended to disparage Rice either, by the way. He’s a quality footballer of which England should be very proud. He is just the most interesting comparison.
The thing about Henderson - and anyone who has ever watched him over a sustained period of time or played with him will tell you this – is that while he might not always catch the eye himself, he makes others around him better.
He’s never been a Phil Foden or Jude Bellingham level talent who comes in an instantly, and directly, makes it 50% better. What he will do, and what he has always done, is get an extra 10% out of everyone else. Against Senegal, for example, Henderson was the only England player who identified where the space was. Instead of demanding the ball in crowded central areas that played into the hands of the Senegalese tactics, Henderson pulled into the space on the right to receive it.
A full back wants to maraud forward, knowing Jordan Henderson is there makes them more daring in doing so. He makes sure the attacking players get the ball in the right areas to do their best work. He organises a team to make them less vulnerable to the counter-attack. He knows when and how to manage a game. He is just a brilliant leader on the pitch and an incredibly intelligent player who gives everyone else around him confidence. The fact he is so unappreciated by England fans who, let’s face it, have not exactly been inundated with winners over the years, is unfathomable to the point of ridiculousness.
You still get the impression that, despite the positive comments since the Senegal win, he is only one England defeat away from being branded unworthy of even wearing the three lions. If England win the World Cup in Qatar, those doubting Henderson will be silenced for good. That has never been the benchmark for anyone else, so why should it be for him?
It’s hard to imagine the fans of any other nation, even the strongest in the competition, turning their noses up at a player like Jordan Henderson. He might not play every game, but he’d be appreciated.
It is what it is, I suppose, and it’s unlikely to change. What it is, though, doesn’t reflect well on English football.
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