One of the most frustrating things about Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson is his (seemingly) pathological refusal to take any risks on the field. Far too often this season, he's passed sideways or backwards when in possession, which suggests a concerning fear of taking responsibility and/or making a mistake. When it comes to confidence on the field, Henderson could learn a thing or two from fellow midfielder Jonjo Shelvey.
Henderson himself admitted recently that he has been “too safe” in his performances and conceded that his form has been “up and down” since his arrival from Sunderland last summer. He told the Daily Express:
“I’ve done the basics, but when I watch matches back I’ve not shown that cutting edge which I believe that I have got"
Against Newcastle on Sunday, Shelvey showed many of the qualities fans expected to see in Henderson, and one particular incident in the game illustrated the difference between the two players:
* As soon as Shelvey picked up the ball, his first instinct was to attack, and he ran straight at the Newcastle defence without fear or hesitation.
* Shelvey basically did what Henderson has singularly failed to do all season: he took responsibility, and had the confidence to try and make something happen.
* Due to Andy Carroll's poor positioning, Shelvey had no one to aim for in the box, so he was forced to shoot. Afterwards, he turned to Carroll - a 35m signing - and blasted him for not being higher up the field (It looks like Shelvey said "Get in the fu**ing box, will you"!)
* I have to admit, I loved seeing that; it shows confidence, and Shelvey is clearly not afraid to speak his mind and let his more expensive team-mates know the score. it's ridiculous really; Carroll was ahead of Shelvey when the ball was picked up in midfield, but by the time Shelvey took the shot, he was about 15 yards behind him (!) Carroll is (allegedly) a striker, so he should be in the box.
* It could be argued that Shelvey was wasteful with the shot, and should've laid it out wide to Jose Enrique, but even if that was a minor mistake, he didn't dwell on it, or let his head drop. After creating the space, Shelvey was entitled to take the shot, but if Carroll had any game intelligence at all, he would've provided the youngster with an option in the box.
Henderson can learn a lot from Shelvey; the youngster has swagger, confidence and a touch of arrogance about him, just like most top class players.
It would be great to see Henderson taking responsibility on the field, but he has had his chance this year, and in my view, Shelvey should take his place for the rest of the season.
Jaimie Kanwar
Henderson himself admitted recently that he has been “too safe” in his performances and conceded that his form has been “up and down” since his arrival from Sunderland last summer. He told the Daily Express:
“I’ve done the basics, but when I watch matches back I’ve not shown that cutting edge which I believe that I have got"
Against Newcastle on Sunday, Shelvey showed many of the qualities fans expected to see in Henderson, and one particular incident in the game illustrated the difference between the two players:
* As soon as Shelvey picked up the ball, his first instinct was to attack, and he ran straight at the Newcastle defence without fear or hesitation.
* Shelvey basically did what Henderson has singularly failed to do all season: he took responsibility, and had the confidence to try and make something happen.
* Due to Andy Carroll's poor positioning, Shelvey had no one to aim for in the box, so he was forced to shoot. Afterwards, he turned to Carroll - a 35m signing - and blasted him for not being higher up the field (It looks like Shelvey said "Get in the fu**ing box, will you"!)
* I have to admit, I loved seeing that; it shows confidence, and Shelvey is clearly not afraid to speak his mind and let his more expensive team-mates know the score. it's ridiculous really; Carroll was ahead of Shelvey when the ball was picked up in midfield, but by the time Shelvey took the shot, he was about 15 yards behind him (!) Carroll is (allegedly) a striker, so he should be in the box.
* It could be argued that Shelvey was wasteful with the shot, and should've laid it out wide to Jose Enrique, but even if that was a minor mistake, he didn't dwell on it, or let his head drop. After creating the space, Shelvey was entitled to take the shot, but if Carroll had any game intelligence at all, he would've provided the youngster with an option in the box.
Henderson can learn a lot from Shelvey; the youngster has swagger, confidence and a touch of arrogance about him, just like most top class players.
It would be great to see Henderson taking responsibility on the field, but he has had his chance this year, and in my view, Shelvey should take his place for the rest of the season.
Jaimie Kanwar
This is good from Shelvey.
ReplyDeletegood shout JK. I really dont like to damn our players but Andy Carroll, forr me kills our whole philosophy and approach to games. It feels like we're simply more intelligent and testing without him. His inclusion forces people to play a certain way, a way we're not comfortable with. Did appear that the countless crosses to an empty box was the liverpool players highlighting how laboured Andy is.
ReplyDeleteid start shelvey every week jus because hes lively and causes problems for defenders hes more like gerrard than hendo will ever be
ReplyDeleteWe should be playing Shelvey instead of |Henderson and carroll he could do a better job than both of them!!!
ReplyDeleteUnlike henderson shelvey shows character! and unlike carroll, henderson, adam and downing he also shows a competitive streak and tries to hurt the opposition, in fact he alone is probably more effective then them 4 combined...
ReplyDeleteI personally have doubted shelvey's potential but he is proving me wrong (which i am delighted about) and he is just 1 of the reasons forking out the millions on the signings is so so annoying, we have a fair few youngsters with real quality and surely they must feel its a kick in the teeth when they see the club spending the money they have on players that basically just aint worth it!And the most painful part is Kenny & Comolli saying these signings are for the future! What about the great crop of youngsters we have, and possibly in danger of losing! They are the future of our great club, not these multi-million pound jokes that are been signed, if your going to spend that kind of money on players then buy established players who will bring quality to the team now not in 3 or 4 years, we dont need them we have suso, coady, sterling, morgan and more!
Please buy the quality we need to improve the team NOW and get rid of the jokes we have bought while we can still get at least a couple of million for them and leave the future to our youngsters as it will be in much safer hands!
Yes, totally agree :-)
ReplyDeleteI think hendo has quality but shelvey may be ahead of him for now. I enjoy shelvey's skill and what he brings to our youth. We should play jonjo the rest of the league matches. But please play kuyt, downing, bellamy, and suarez up front against the blue and white shite. Shelvey and Stevie mid. We need the fa! #LFCforlifeson
ReplyDeleteThe recent development from John W. Henry and
ReplyDeleteThomas Werner to require a written report by Damien Comolli, Kenny Dalglish,
and Steve Clarke is a very encouraging/promising movement that
simply signalize their intention not to compromise with mediocrities and their
determination to not tolerate from anyone, even if his name is Damien Comolli
or Kenny Dalglish, with his decisions to put the overall success of turning the
fortunes of this historic club around and guide/lead it to a new golden era in
jeopardy. Every cent/penny that will be provided by them as a transfer budget
should be spent wisely not on ambiguous value football players, but on players
that have a proved record that can make the difference. On this specific aspect
both Damien Comolli and Kenny Dalglish have failed and they are held
responsible for that. Damien Comolli has succumbed to Kenny Dalglish’s limited
knowledge of modernized football and tactics by bringing in players that are
not made up for a club as LFC. This proves that they both (Damien Comolli and
Kenny Dalglish) do not have the knowhow of how to build a title contender team
in today’s modernized football. My assessment on Damien Comolli is based on the
fact that by holding the position of football director should apply veto when
he feels/believes that the players the manager/coach is asking for cannot stand
up to the standards of a club like Liverpool. My assessment on Kenny Dalglish
is based on the fact that he was out of the game for a decade and he cannot
understand the changes that applied in this field.
Great point! It also would have been fairly pointless passing to Enrique because he would have had to cross into a box with nobody in it.
ReplyDeleteIn hindsight there was no need to buy Henderson at all, because Shelvey was showing good potential at the end of last season.
Shelvey's performance shows his hunger for the game whereas Henderson seemingly has no appetite. No wonder Holloway wanted him back at Blackpool so badly. It really is a shame to see the guy sat on the bench and it'd be a real pisser if he felt the need to move to another club through lack of first team opportunities. I'll bet KD won't give him a start in the next game even though Shelvey is far more dynamic than Boredom Henderson.
ReplyDeleteWhich begs the question again about why we paid £20m for Henderson when we already had Shelvey and other positions were needing to be filled.
ReplyDeletehave argued all season that there was no need to sign henderson when we had shelvey.he's a far better attacking threat and isn't afraid to make mistakes.hopefully he'll get a few more games before the end of the season.
ReplyDeletei think this team is not overall that bad and with few additions shud be enough to challenge for top four, however the biggest let down is the management.. the organisation of the team, tactics,motivation all r awful and with each passing week difficult to endure... change of management and fresh idea is what liverpool need and need it ASAP.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't understand with KD this season is that last year with meireles, shelvey and lucas, they were playing very eye catching football (pass/move) even without Stevie G. Suarez was roaming around with Kuyt. We sort of resembled Barca at some points in the second half of last season! Instead we bought 2 immobile players (Carroll and Adam) along with a player who has all the tools to be great in the future but not at the present moment (Henderson).
ReplyDeleteBecause we're playing for nothing in the league, I think the supporters would like to see more of the players that haven't had a prominent roll this season (Coates, Shelvey) to get more playing time and perhaps give a few runouts to the academy kids. Because we literally have nothing to lose by doing so.
henderson should never play for lfc cause hes not good enough. no matter hes pricetag carrol too
ReplyDeleteon two occasions carroll went backwards as seen in your picture, he did it when suarez headed for the byline, this is unforgivable, his only thought should be to get into a goalscoring position and who has decided not to put the full backs on the posts, this and reina never leaving his line is the main reason for our troubles - the buck stops for all the above and more AT THE COACHES.
ReplyDeleteI still cant believe carroll plays for liverpool fc ,I just cant
ReplyDeleteAgreed, what Carroll needs to do is to keep pushing up to draw defenders away. Counterproductive on all fronts
ReplyDeleteShelvey had a good game when he first came back from loan and then said he wanted more playing time, then Kenny blasted him for saying what we were all thinking and kicked him outta team till Newcastle. Another mistake by Kenny imo.
ReplyDeleteadam has completely slowed down the pace of our game.he runs out of steam very quickly.
ReplyDeletei heard rumours about that too.obviously he thought he was gonna get games if he was recalled from loan while he was bang in form.very bad man management.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you both there; the minute I saw Shelvey's interview I knew KD would keep him on the bench as some kind of punishment. Very Benitez-esque man-management. He should start the next league game but he probably won't.
ReplyDeletecarroll should have kept going when we went down the tunnel on sunday and go back to gateshead.
ReplyDeleteI keep saying it over and over again - Henderson is talented, but way too timid for it to make any difference.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Henderson looks like the player that needs more time in the reserves, or just at a lower level to get his confidence up. Regardless of if/when he comes good, his signing will ALWAYS have been a mistake as far as I'm concerned, as we didn't have a squad that could afford throwing away £16m on a long term project. And Henderson still wouldn't have been worth any more than £16m even if we'd gone back in for him a year or two later.
Shelvey was a great signing by Rafa for just over £1m,this is the reason dalglish me and my ego me and my pride wont play him.Its the only reason by selfish KD who keeps telling us he has LFCs interests at heart yet we all know different.This is why in the CC final at wembley selfish Kenny played all his signings because John Henry was in the crowd,guess what though it almost backfired.
ReplyDeleteThe recent development from John W. Henry and
ReplyDeleteThomas Werner to require a written report by Damien Comolli, Kenny Dalglish,
and Steve Clarke is a very encouraging/promising movement that
simply signalize their intention not to compromise with mediocrities and their
determination to not tolerate from anyone, even if his name is Damien Comolli
or Kenny Dalglish, with his decisions to put the overall success of turning the
fortunes of this historic club around and guide/lead it to a new golden era in
jeopardy. Every cent/penny that will be provided by them as a transfer budget
should be spent wisely not on ambiguous value football players, but on players
that have a proved record that can make the difference. On this specific aspect
both Damien Comolli and Kenny Dalglish have failed and they are held
responsible for that. Damien Comolli has succumbed to Kenny Dalglish’s limited
knowledge of modernized football and tactics by bringing in players that are
not made up for a club as LFC. This proves that they both (Damien Comolli and
Kenny Dalglish) do not have the knowhow of how to build a title contender team
in today’s modernized football. My assessment on Damien Comolli is based on the
fact that by holding the position of football director should apply veto when
he feels/believes that the players the manager/coach is asking for cannot stand
up to the standards of a club like Liverpool. My assessment on Kenny Dalglish
is based on the fact that he was out of the game for a decade and he cannot
understand the changes that applied in this field.
basic thing i was told as a kid, you dont shoot you dont score. dont get me wrong there is times to do the right pass to increase the chance for your team to score. i bet shelvey has been itching to get out there in the so called first team and show us wat hes all about.
ReplyDeleteas for henderson, kenny has just ruined the boys confidence by constantly playing him out wide, he would be more use in goal.
henderson is probably potentialy a decent centre mid but we will never find out at this rate.
shelvey could salvage some liverpool pride this season given the chance
it is unfortunate that we have a common denominator when it comes to rafa and kenny. the word is 'stubborn'. rafa was far too stubborn when it came to substitutions,treating our best players(alonso),with the understanding,that not every player reacts the same as him. kenny is stubborn when it comes to, again, substitutions and keeping faith with 'his' poor signings.
ReplyDeleteso much for it being ok to show your disapointment ey
ReplyDeleteBetween Shelvey, Sterling, Suso, Morgan - we could save a fortune this summer. And where is Dani Pacheco? With Lucas back in midfield, Agger and Johnson back in defence - all Liverpool need is ONE regular goalscorer and they'll be alright. Keep Suarez, Kuyt and Bellamy as a choice of second strikers. If Torres didn't put in the transfer request when he did - no way would Andy Carroll be a Liverpool player - a panic buy if I ever saw one, but at the time they really didn't have a choice. Sell Carroll Adam, Cole, Spearing, Aquilani for about 30million combined, and Liverpool could even make a profit this summer.
ReplyDeleteI think that we should try to play Spearing and Henderson as the holding midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 system with Gerrard in front of them. Henderson has a superb engine and is quite comfortable with the ball at his feet and knows how to pass, especially quick one touch passes. The attacking trio should be a mix between Suarez, Bellamy, Kuyt, Maxi or Sterling.
ReplyDeleteLet's play "pass & move" football, with high intensity, passion and pressing high up the pitch again.
For me, Carroll, Downing and also Adam aren't good enough for Liverpool. They should never have been bought in the first place. Get rid of them.
I certainly would give this line-up a chance against Villa on Saturday and see how they perform.
------------------Doni-------------------
----Kelly---Skrtel--Coates---Enrique---
---------Spearing---Henderson---------
----Maxi-------Suarez-------Gerrard----
---------------Bellamy-------------------
Bench// Jones/Carragher/Flanagan/Shelvey/Sterling/Suso/Kuyt
Gerrard in the middle and Suarez out wide is also possible, I just put Gerrard out wide because of the understanding between Suarez and Maxi.
You could also play Bellamy instead of Maxi and Kuyt in place of Bellamy.
The front four being flexible and interchangeable as we have seen at the end of last season ....
adam is utter shite. rangers got rid of him,what does that say????????blackpool took him, no major clubs would look three times let alone twice. great left foot allegedly,our new alonso,our new molby!! no, they could pass and rarely gave stupid,dangerous free kicks away. bin him,quick.
ReplyDeletepacheco is on loan in spain.
ReplyDeletecan't see him coming back.
aquilani is gone as far as i know-there was a clause where milan would buy him if he played a certain amount of games,am certain it was triggered-i could be wrong.he'll go for a low fee but the money we spent on him was appearance related too and he played fuck all for us so roma didn't get the full fee we agreed.
i hate the thought of two 'holding' midfielders.it's an obsession in modern football that you need a holding player,you don't.i'd like to see henderson play in centre midfield though if he is to play again this season because it's obvious he can't play on the wing.
ReplyDeletespearing isn't up to much either in my opinion but only option it seems with lucas/adam out.
Hadn't appreciated Jonjo this season but this video and article sums up what we need from the players... Henderson does, I think, have potential but is not doing what he should be doing as a midfielder. While Shelvey may not have the best touch in the world at least he showed some heart... which is why I reckon Dalglish played him.
ReplyDeleteMore of the same with team selection please but play Downing and Carroll together... or preferably not play them and get Maxi, Bellamy and Kuyt more involved.
For me there is a danger with stats. They never tell the whole story and can hurt you if you don't use them correctly. For me what benitez talked about, the so called 'winning mentality' is the crucial factor that Carrol, Hendo, Adam, and Downing simply do not have. Where can you see this inner confidence with stats.
ReplyDeleteWhen Messi was given his contract at Barca, they took a large risk as he had a growth deficiency. It was based on the technical directors 'gut instinct'. THAT is what you rely on in a manager a gut instinct about players. And for me the Psychology of this team is that of a losing team-a team without confidence.
Any time you have a team (like LFC) that seems to do better against 'bigger' teams and struggle against 'smaller' teams it shows there is a problem with the teams belief. It means that when the expectation isn't that they should win then they can perform, but if they SHOULD beat Newcastle, and Wigan they choke.
I've made this point myself Jaimie, and I absolutely agree with what you're saying. I think Henderson has a lot of talent, when you watch him with the u-21s he looks a different player, but he lacks the mentality.
ReplyDeleteWhen Shelvey plays, he just belongs. It is a shame we lost against Newcastle (for many reasons!) because it might discourage Kenny from fielding that same side, which I think is our best 11 out of those available. You can rotate in Downing to cover for Bellamy's fitness and keep the same system too, which is good.
Rafa was stubborn but if you read any of his articles you will see there was a reason for everything he did based on analysis. He made some mistakes but he is human not a robot, overall most decisions were correct.
ReplyDeleteKenny makes decisions that don't appear to be logical. Bringing back shelvey from blackpool and when he was doing really well and learning is a perfect example. Bring him back but only if you are going to give him a chance.
Carroll is just a lazy player half the time he looks like he playing pissed
ReplyDeleteThis is ultimately the Dalglish's job to drill Carroll and other players into the right positioning. We didn't score enough goals because there is no or poor coaching. Rafa would have made this team with these players fly and score, because what he is good at is the tactics and positioning of the players. Here is an extract from what Torres tells about Rafa:
ReplyDelete"With Rafa Benitez I learned a lot. He is a coach who is very meticulous and who can identify small but very important details that no-one else sees to enable you to score. I worked with him a lot individually and I think we saw the benefit of this on the pitch"."Rafa taught me to demand the maximum of myself every day and never to relax. When you are in a team that is doing well the players tend to relax, but you should always push yourself, never relax and try to give your maximum every day. You can’t stop after scoring 20 goals and say ‘Done it, there you are’. After scoring 20 goals for Benitez’s team he comes to you in training and pushes you more every day, all week. He shows you more drills. There are days when you think ‘Good God, this bloke doesn’t let me breathe’. There are times when you don’t realise that he only wants you to improve, to progress in life, to never stop, and you need a person close to you to help you do it. You can’t do it any other way.
If he tells you to move a couple of yards from the penalty spot, you do it because he teaches you that using the extra space is the difference between scoring and missing a chance".
Something is telling me that nothing like that is happening at Melwood currently, because the players simply don't know exactly what their roles are and where they need to be, and what their movements should be to score goals. We can spend another huge amount and buy a brilliant striker. After a few months he will regress. All the ear flicks at the training sessions are of course fun. But we need to see scored goals and wins.
Ive been a fan since 1977 and in all those years of supporting LFC I cant remember any of those sides carrying so many supposedly key players - the ability to hide during games and 'play' zero risk football from the likes of hendo, downing and carroll is a feat in itself - quite how attacking players can go missing for as long and as often as they do is nothing short of astounding , I defy any fan of a rival club to produce three of thier own key players who are as adept as our trio at going into 'stealth mode' on the pitch .
ReplyDeleteShelveys blasting of carroll is a welcome breath of fresh air - someone who wants to play and fight for the shirt and the fans , I just pray that its finally sunk in .
Dont stand there messing about with your scrunchy " GET IN THE BOX "
mentality , exactly .... overpaid , selfish , no guts or pride but take the money and that includes gerrard , yes , i want someone to say lets go ..... imagine what souness as a player would be saying ,,,,, exactly if you saw him play , i did ,,, thats my type of player and yes dalgleish has made bad signings and etc etc maybe he not the man to take liverpool forward but this pathetic bunch should be ashamed ,,,, dalgleish always gave 100per cent on pitch so before they take there wages and backstab , look at yourselfs in mirror
ReplyDeletealways liked shelvey up front or in midfield ...kenny wont play him as ..the yanks are asking why did kenny fork out millions on rubbish when shelvey is better
ReplyDeleteShelvey isnt the answer either, he lacks pace and makes the wrong choices. Saying he's better than Henderson or Carroll is like saying a poke in the eye is better than a slap in the face. I dont want either.
ReplyDeleteGiven current injury situation:
Doni
Flanagan, Coates, Skrtel, Enrique
Kuyt, Spearing (DM), Gerrard, Aurelio
Bellamy, Suarez
Give Sterling the last 20/30 minutes to see what he can do.
Aurelio is a good footballer - he's just made of glass.
Oh and Carragher needs to retire; he is well off the pace since being out of the team.
As for Kenny - I only hope Carroll, Henderson, Downing were all signings driven by Comolli if not he really should not be allowed anywhere near rhe summer transfer pot.
We cant sack him who else would we get in and please dont say bring back Benitez he also spent lots of money on dross - Dossena anyone,
Henderson has been a total disgrace.... £16m more like £16.... He should be kicked out the club for his lack of effort.... I would like to see of Aqualani back and give the likes of Sterling, Suso and Coady a chance.... Change Carragher for Coates and a new striker who can finish and we can start to climb again.... Downing, Carrol, Henderson and Adam can f--k off with Commolli
ReplyDeletewhat a complete exaggeration
ReplyDeletemore nonsense from Jamie
are you on mushy peas, spearing looks set to go back to alien farm whilst henderson runs like forest gump. my team would be
ReplyDelete4-3-3DoniEnrique Coates Skrtel CoadySuso Gerrard BellamySterling Suarez Eccleston
Didn't you know he's pissed all the time, what did capello say.
ReplyDeleteHe needs to cut down on bear
The most annoying thing about KD is that he's playing them in hope that they'll become good somehow. Just cos hes spend ridiculous money for them. With seven games to go why can't he just bring some of the kids instead of the crap he bought. Just why did he send Pacheco on loan when the kid would have been better option. If not for poor season we r having just for the reason that he keeps playing that crap It would b nice if he moves on.
ReplyDelete2 different players. Both central midfielders but their games are completely different. Shelvey is more explosive. Constantly wanting the ball and charging forward looking to play a killer pass. Henderson is much more intelligent. He has clever movement off the ball and is always makes intricate, neat passes. Both have alot of growing and maturing. Shelvey needs to be more intelligent. His positional sense is not great and he over does the Hollywood ball. Henderson has been unfortunate to be constantly played in a position that doesn't utilize his strengths enough. That said, his main problem ATM is his uncertainty in the final third. It's something that will come with time and training. I'm confident that the £16m (not £20m) that we paid for him will be a snip.
ReplyDeleteBoth can/will be key figures in years to cone.
Adam can f*** off though
Sadly, Henderson has failed to raise his game and its true to say that he just doesn't have that cutting edge to his game that perhaps Shelvey does have.
ReplyDelete20mil was a ridiculous amount to spend on Hendo IMO we should have bought a proper RW, someone with pace and the ability to take on players etc.
I do feel a little sorry for him tbh, likeable lad, good engine on him but where the fcuk does he fit into the side? Whats his position?
Kinda reminds me of Lucas a little in respect of the fact they both struggle with taking responsibilty, sideways passers off the ball, obviously Lucas has improved over the years, and perhaps Hnedo has the potential to also, but do we need him? Should we have bought him in the first place?
I don't think so.
I remember watching shelvey play at the 5-2 demolition of Fulham last season and he was very impressive. This boy is fearless and has huge potentia. He has great vision and strikes the ball fantastically well. He undoubtedly should play in all the remaining games. Fantastic going forward and offers much more than the inept Henderson, Adam, and spearing all put together. Holloway was a great admirer singing his praises earlier in the season when he was on loan at Blackpool. If given the opportunity this boy will be a top player in years to come. IMO another fantastic buy from Rafa who should never have
ReplyDeleteI can only think that when Kenny or Commolli gave the owners a short list of players they wanted the Americans did some research and gave the ok to Henderson and Dowmning and Adam based on their statistics from last season.
ReplyDeleteGood call, totaly agree
ReplyDeleteAgree with the comments on Shelvey, he has always impressed me. People complain about his pace but we seem obsessed in this country with 'pace', his skills and passing are more important, especially as we are playing less on the break and more focused on control.
ReplyDeleteAs for Carroll, his positional awareness has me screaming at the TV!
Well, i agree that Shelvey is no slouch, i think Jamie's description of him in the article is quite accurate, personally i think he needs more playing time before i consider him a "fantastic" signing though.....
ReplyDeleteHenderson certainly isn't, that much we can agree about, but lets not forget that Rafa bought a fair few questionable players to the Club.....
Shelvey has more dynamism about his play BUT there is also a side to his play which is at times a bit sloppy IMO, perhaps it is a bit unfair to compare the 2 of them as i don't think their natural positions are the same, Hendo seems more like a Lucas type player, constantly covering ground intercepting and distributing the ball, where as Shelvey is more of a direct attacking type player.
My main grouse with Henderson is actually the position he has been given to play i.e. on the right...which i have found infuriating because we could have spent that money on a quality RW......
Kenny has really vexed me this season with his team line ups and weird player positions.....i was calling for Henderson to be plaYed in the centre as a DM/CM which would appear to be his best position?
So many questions left unanswered....no wonder we are seeing player frustrations....
Coady at right back? Thought he was a centre back/defensive midfielder?
ReplyDeleteI like Shelvey, he's brimming with confidence and has talent & potential to go with it. Henderson lacks confidence. He appears to be more scared of getting a roasting for doing something risky than having the balls to try it. If he tried to shoot more often and scored at least once, his confidence will rise and he'll play better. It's obvious he has the potential to be a very good footballer but until he can sort out his confidence issues then he will always put in mediocre performances.
ReplyDeletecarroll's positioning is confrence league standard
ReplyDeletegreat players are always the one's that take the game by the scruff of its neck and take risks shelvey has that in him more than carroll,henderson,adam and downing combined
ReplyDeleteAgreed with your comments. Yes, I have wrote repeatedly, time for Carragher to retire. Give Coates playing time.
ReplyDeleteHenderson should be sold. I just can't see him having enough quality even in the future. Shelvey looks better. But we still need to buy a quality midfielder with leadership qualities.
As for Carroll, his positioning and movement on the field has always been poor. He seems to forget that in football, you need to score to win. And you can't score if you don't attack the box and be positioned to score. A good striker has an instinct for positioning and knack for scoring and should fit into any team's system of play. Not as suggested by Alan Pardew to develop a system around Carroll. Then we would be back to previous seasons where we depend on Stevie and Torres only. Poor form from the 2, and the whole team collapses.
And yes, please don't bring back Benitez. Why do we always live in the past. Time for a new coach, perhaps someone young and dynamic.
I do think you like a wind up some times jaimie but this point is spot on. Shelvey looks like a top quality prospect who makes a couple of "inexperienced" decisions but he makes them with confidence. Henderson needs confidence that playing time can give you. The problem is its impossible to get these players to play for the reserves as they sulk and request transfers. We end up stuck with out of form players lacking in confidence.
ReplyDeleteYa its like you in for a new job, you can't start barking orders at your collegues?? Isn't it?? They should be given time to adjust in the dressing room.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry but I have to disagree on Rafa. Rafa can get the best out of the current squad because tactically he is too good. At the moment we need to sign a prolific striker and a creative midfilder for a top four finish. I like the football they play under kenny but cann't understand the tactics of kenny. I still feel kenny will be given money in next season to buy new players and will be given time till january. I hope he uses that money well and saves his job. His biggest mistake was to sell raul who saved his job. The kind of football they play currently , he needs player like raul and maxi.
ReplyDeleteCarroll is a fake striker who can not tear defenders and his size is a problem to him. Slow, heavy, poor game reading, no pace, no opening skills/hidding behind defenders and aganst ref decisions all the time. We need a matures goal dreamer No. 9 for LFC
ReplyDeleteFrom Shelvey's performing, I can the shadow of Steven Gerrard.
ReplyDeleteKenny thought he was a better player than Aquillani,Raul and Shelvey.He has lost his marbles
ReplyDeleteMore I see these kind of detailed small events of match, more I loose trust in Kenny.
ReplyDeleteAny idiot with a little idea about football can understand that Carroll has no intent of scoring a goal. A striker falling behind and watching Shelvey running with ball rather than run at front line get a pass and put it behind the back of net.
After watching this, Kenny should know the problem. If he knows why can't he solve ?
Please realize that the new signings have nothing to give LFC in terms of 'a winning mentality and working for the greater good of the team. Jones went to Manure and he immediately puts in a shift everytime he plays. Old purple-nose knows how to pick the players that have the attitude to fit in quickly...This player is for the future? Price tag issues -not to worry, high wages? Lazy overpaid dross? That is incompetence...THESE SIGNINGS WILL NOT COME GOOD IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE....PLAY THE KIDS, THAT WHY WE HAVE ONE THE BEST ACADEMIES AND BORRELLI..YNWA
ReplyDeleteIt does not matter where he plays, in the mid he would certainly be worse, cant pass, always scared of an opponent, panicks and is one player who knows how to hide behind an opponent/ref for the whole game and finally bottles it at every time. YNWA
ReplyDeleteCHAD= Carroll,Henderson,Adam,Downing...Also known as the FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE
ReplyDeleteOn a serious note lets be clear here Spearing is not good enough EITHER he should be no where the starting 11.
ReplyDeleteShelvey is a composed on the ball and rarely panics .
I'm looking to nest season now a NEW MANAGER with a massive clear out the following NEED TO GO:
Carragher, Downing, Carroll,Adam,Aurelio,Maxi,Spearing,Kuyt,Wilson.
Are we talking about the same Henderson here?
ReplyDeleteOne day we asked why the manager didn't start Carroll, the next day we asked how come he is playing...
ReplyDeleteThink we really missed Lucas and Agger, all those defeats could have just led to draws or even wins...
Spot on Jaimie! For me, Shelvey has street smarts, something which both Spearing and Henderson don't have. He shows no fear and is not intimidated by the opposition. He has confidence in abundance and is not scared to take a risk. That's the type of player we need more of! I see the mentality of Carra, Agger & Skirtl in him.
ReplyDeleteMy Chi Bai says Jonjo is right and what a puki mak performance by Henderson.
ReplyDeleteNo harm kenny brings raheem on for 6 mins,then doesent bring him to newcastle,2-0 down doesent make a sub until 18-mins to go,shelvey,in 4or 5 years time can be as good as stevie g,still only young,when he was with charlton when 17 was brilliant in midfield going forward,bring in coates,shelvey,maxi,raheem suso coady,on bench,give 20 mins for few games to get them upto pace,give carroll henderson downing adam,a kick up the arse,if they dont get it together get rid cut our loses,meirelles good midfielder that could get goals,miss him.Kenny love man as a player,great legend,had fagan and evans with him when liverpool manager,to guide him,won league with blackburn with jack walkers money,messed up newcastle and celtic.Rafa not the answer should have won league but tinkerd with team to much for champions league,our scouting system seems very bad over the years,to what it was,we only seem to buy players bar one or two,that dont fit into liverpools way.We r not promoting enough of our younger players.I still think kenny was alright to steady the ship but not long term as for comollie,shite at spurs get rid of him,get someone in that can spot talent,didnt we have cabaye and tiote at trials before newcastle,that just says it all.Genuine disgrunted life time supporter Y.N.W.A.
ReplyDeleteAt the very least, and i can't scream that load enough, Andy Carroll should of at least taken a defender away left or right to open up the defence a little bit more. Poor, Poor football. It's what you do off the ball that wins games!!!!
ReplyDeleteShotas said that Carroll needs to "cut down on the bear"
ReplyDeleteDid he mean "beer" of Hoffmeister? :D
Good comment.why o why does Hendo get shirt before Kuyte,it totally baffles me that one.
ReplyDeleteDon't think you can really judge all the players when the management seems to be so bad. Look at Torres now, does anyone think that he has not turned the corner? If players look like they are bottling it, the manager has to take some of the blame. It's his job to get them onto the pitch in the right mindset and get them onto the pitch and be prepared to take risks and believe in their ability. A striker who is starting to 'hide' has usually not been managed very well, in my opinion. Taking him off, when others were playing worse, was not going to help either.
ReplyDeleteHowever good or bad these players have performed, and i think Downing and Carroll played better for their old clubs, they played better against us for their old clubs, I think a better coaching set up would have got more out of our players, both in terms of motivation and tactically.
Spot on. Take defenders away and provide an option. It doesn't even matter if he gets into an offside position if he makes defenders move.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely correct, shelvey has something that Henderson Doesent. I would love to see a lot more game time for shelvey and Henderson to be benched
ReplyDeleteCarroll does not play, he pulls on the shirt and goes for an amble roud the pitch. Then picks up his large pay packet every week.
ReplyDeleteFor sure. Has a thunder boot and eye for goal. Also not scared of putting in some crunching tackles, ala Stevie G. Hendo has no confidence but more importantly has no aggression and competitiveness.
ReplyDeleteCarroll / Henderson / Adam = too lanky / too pretty / too slow
ReplyDeleteShelvey has not been given decent game time. Players often make bad choices when they are sent on for 5 minutes every 10th game and told to change the match. Hardly fair compared to the patience shown to Henderson.
ReplyDeleteLlorente and Ibrahimovic are both really tall goes, in fact, maybe even taller than Carroll. It has nothing to do with height and everything to do with not being good enough.
ReplyDeleteanyone reckon we should be playing 3-5-2 formation?i would play kelly/skyrtel/agger(when fit),middle 3 would be shelvey/spearing/gerrard...wing backs enrique/johnson...up top,suarez and kuyt.when we played 352 under evans the football was fantastic but defensively we were poor,however with reina and our top centre backs that wouldnt be a problem.johnson loves to get forward so he should play right wing and kuyt is a proven scorer WHEN hes playing up front.we would also have a very fluid lne up that allows for 5 at the back when defending and 4 strikers when attacking.the last time a forward two scored more than 40 + goals was fowler/collymore under evans!!!just a thought...
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with Shelvey. Good range of passing and his positional awareness is also good for his age. Henderson hasn't done anything to suggest he is a better player than Shelvey. Shelvey makes runs from deep, tries passes and runs with the ball with that determination to change the game (Like in the clip). I'm sick of Henderson playing it safe and doing a disappearing act when things aren't going right. Even when he came on, Henderson placed a wayward pass 5 or so yards behind Flanagan and then moaned at Flanagan for not reaching it!. Carroll's ability on the ball, passing and holding it up has improved, but his positional awareness and the ability to get beyond the centre backs and latch onto a through ball hasn't (As shown in this clip). There was another instance when Gerrard put a superb ball into the centre of the box, only for Carroll to be standing on his heels at the far post with no drive or determination to get on the end of it. He probably thinks that it won't reach him even if he did try, as the final pass/cross has been so poor this season, so why bother? He need to learn to gamble more and make the runs because you never know.
ReplyDeleteAlso we never get enough players in the box at any one time. Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man city, Tottenham always have atleast 2 in the box and one just on the edge to follow up. We don't seem to be doing that because Gerrard is playing in a deeper role. System needs changing into a more positive, attacking formation.
ReplyDeleteFurgie knows how to pick them, far enough but if KK could just stop picking players on this stupid method of Stats and crap, just go out watch them play look for 1) Good ball skills
ReplyDelete2) Good pace
3) A half descent read on the game
4) FFS PASSION real PASSION
These qualities and maybe a couple more is the reason why the South Americans are the best footballers in the world. Sorry attitude is another look at their attitude on and off the park.
I agree with you. Our problems lie with manager. All of the players we bought can no flop as soon as they come to Liverpool. There can be issue with 1 or 2. Not all of them. Even our best player Suarez is no more like he was when he came.
ReplyDeleteManager can ruin a team full of the best players in the world. Prime example of that is Sunderland. Steve Bruce could not win a game and Martin O'neil is cruising with the same team. Team which is assembled by Bruce is now looks intimidating to even Manchester City but only after O'neil took charge.
Something similar can happen at Liverpool.
Totally agree!
ReplyDeleteHenderson was a waste of money from the first place, why we need to buy him when we have shelve ???
Shelve is much more talented, better player, mind and skills and younger!
15 millions for what ???
Add to that the change of Adam instead of Meireles and you get regression!
Saying and admiting that i prefer Spearing and Shelvey than Adam and Henderson proves our s**t transfer policy this summer.we sold one of our best players of last season,Raul Meireles,and one of the best players at preseason,Alberto Aquilani,to fund moves for Adam and Henderson,utter b*llsh*t if you ask me.we need a playmaker and a striker and another winger too.
ReplyDeleteReina
Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique
Gerrard Lucas Moutinho
Lavezzi Suarez Bellamy
or more costly and unrealistically
Reina
Johnson Skrtel Agger Enrique
Gerrard Lucas Moutinho
Lavezzi Falcao Suarez
Our attack S*CKS,we need new players.YNWA
Carroll offically is more effective running away from the box than attacking it. I hope that come the end of the season he packs his bags and leaves along with Adam. As for the other two hederson and downing. Downing needs to keep the bench warm for Sterling and henderson needs to spend the majority of next season as a reserve. YNWA!!!!!
ReplyDeleteCarroll's positioning was awful, Aguero etc would drifted into space between right back and centre half, making an angle for through ball
ReplyDeleteI think Shelvey says "Get in the f**king box, you pr**"
Look at 0.21 as Shelvey looks down, his lips seem to purse into position to form that word
Symptomatic of their relationship
Sick of Carroll now
Carroll should work hard on what he does off the ball because he sure as hell can't do anything on it.
ReplyDeleteI think Hendo needs more time playing in the park. That's his level.
ReplyDeletethe level of bashing Henderson is pathetic, mostly the same idiots who slated Lucas for years. Of course he is not the same player as Gerrard. Yes Shelvey is more like Gerrard in style so what ? You need balance in a team. Yes Shelvey is more 'adventurous', he also loses posession a lot more. Henderson can have a great future at Liverpool and you should be supportingour players. As for the daft comment of Danniered about Phil Jones, well we were in for him too, so its ridiculous to suggest they target better than us. United also wanted Henderson so its a lame argument. Try supporting the team instead of moaning, you sound like closet mancs
ReplyDeletetrying watching the matches because this comment is utterly stupid
ReplyDeletelike you know ... stupid comment
ReplyDeleteyour team would get us relegated
ReplyDeleteholding midfielders are essential to a good team. Hamann changed the match in Istanbul. From Hamann to Sissoko to Mascherano to Lucas ..... and how we struggle without him, can't wait til he s back
ReplyDeletelet's hope we win the fa cup and pray you lot stfu moaning ... its crass
ReplyDeletecompletely agree !! how many of the spanish national team have great pace ???? they rely on there technical ability, need to take a leaf out of there book.
ReplyDeletePhill your a fucking arsehole and you know fuck all I bet you was also one of those pricks that wanted Benitez out u fucking mug !!!
ReplyDeleteYou Pratt!!!
ReplyDeleteU Pratt !!!
ReplyDeleteYour right George pills a proper donut !!
ReplyDeleteI was watching the game with my dad and uncles when my granny said "the guy with that pony tail (Carroll)" is lazy! Everyone turned to look at her, and for someone who does not follow games, she was spot on. Carroll's laziness is so obvious.
ReplyDeleteif henderson had any shame or diginity at all, he should take off his red shirt and walk alone. and maybe hang himself. what a clown. (the more you slag henderson off, the better, that's how lucas learned. the hard way)
ReplyDeletehow much time do these clown shoes need? they don't even LOOK like they wanna play for our team. you thought tevez was a problem, these guys are well worse off when it comes to commitment.
ReplyDelete