Is it important to start Jordan Henderson against Atletico Madrid?

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has often been underappreciated for his performances but this season, the England international has been getting the recognition he deserves.

The 29-year-old has netted three goals while providing five assists in 34 appearances across all competitions so far. Several football pundits have been impressed by his performances and want him to be adjudged the PFA Player of the Year this season.

During Liverpool’s first leg against Atletico Madrid a few weeks back, Henderson sustained a hamstring injury which has seen him miss the four matches that followed. The Reds lost two of those matches against Watford and Chelsea while registering not the most convincing wins over West Ham and Bournemouth at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp said in his pre-match press conference yesterday that the Liverpool captain is back in training and could be available for this week’s match against Atleti, something which has pleased fans who have expressed their delight at the possibility of him being available for the second leg.

So, the question is: “Is Jordan Henderson’s presence in the starting lineup really that important”? The answer is YES, it very much is and there’s more than one reason to that.

Firstly, let’s be honest, Henderson may not be the most talented footballer around but he surely is a terrific leader. The 29-year-old has always stood out for his leadership and character. Having someone like him who seems a manager on the pitch always helps. Liverpool have a few leaders in their team like Virgil van Dijk but having a captain like Henderson is useful in the mentality department.

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Secondly, the England international is someone who can link up very well with Liverpool attackers and the defenders. He has forged a fine partnership with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah on the right while also doing a good job in the holding midfield role during Fabinho‘s absence.

Henderson has also delivered some fine crosses and long balls which has seen him fetch a few assists, arguably the most notable one of them being his delivery for Sadio Mane‘s goal against Manchester City back in November.

One thing which people haven’t spoken about a lot (mainly because he hasn’t done this very often) is that the Liverpool captain is capable of scoring goals from distance.

Henderson had some fine shots outside the penalty area on target during the Club World Cup Final and against Manchester United at Anfield. While the former was saved, the latter saw David de Gea deflecting the ball to the crossbar.

Hence, Henderson can try startling the opposition goalkeeper by shooting from long range.

So to sum it up, the Liverpool captain isn’t the best of footballers around but it very valuable to the team and has shown time and again why he deserves to be a regular under Klopp.

With Alisson out for the second leg, Henderson’s return will be a big boost for Liverpool.