Is this not what you asked for? Or are we finally comfortable with the 1-0’s?Fan media has obliged with joy and that talk of character, but alas, social media drowns in questions over tactics. Over whether Henderson, possibly Man of the Match on the day, deserves to hold down a place in this eleven. Over whether Naby Keita is the victim of being played in positions that he, a professional footballer purchased for his work rate and versatility, can’t adjust to. Rants suggesting James Milner at right back is the crime of the century despite James Milner at left back playing a major part in qualifying for the Champions League just two years ago. And the list of gripes and debates goes on.Maturity and composure are traits of title winning sides. The United teams we spent all those years hating had it. City have it and now, it seems the Reds have it too. The madness that ensued at Anfield on Saturday shows that they will find different ways to win, regardless of any amount of pressure or circumstance. It was evidence that while we, the supporters, may lose our minds, their heads are cool, balanced and in the moment.No, it wasn’t a stereotypical “mature” performance to ship three goals to a side currently sitting fourteenth in the table, but the response to doing so was.Liverpool have shown all season that if you come and park the bus, these Reds will grind and grind, pushing and pulling you in every direction until they finally break you. Have the audacity to score first? You better strap in, because these lads will invoke the spirit of seasons gone by, throw caution to the wind, slam the throttle to the floor and thrive in the most chaotic of circumstances or atmosphere.You can ask Arsenal. You can now ask Palace too.
So why are some of us still not satisfied with who these Reds are and where they’re going? Is it an impending sense of doom? Is it a byproduct of not being used to this position? Perhaps it’s both.The arguments over Keita and Henderson have become as polarised as politics. We could all be a bit more centrist for their sake and ours. Hendo, for all his work and tactical discipline is not going to bang in goals from 30 yards or turn midfield opponents like Sergio Busquets. He is not Steven Gerrard either and you should finally stop asking him to be.Sometimes we need that, of course, that’s true. Saying football teams need someone like a Steven Gerrard is a bit like saying you need vegetables in your diet once in a while. Sure, you can live without it, but you’ll be healthier and happier with it, of course. But expecting our current captain to become that or he get off the field is no more realistic than asking your burger to become a salad. It is both unfair to Henderson and tone deaf to the evolution of this Reds side.It’s reached the point that the anti-Henderson cavaliers seem to have an agenda, though I’m not sure what the end goal is aside from convincing us all that LFC needs someone better despite being top of the table. It has riled many to his defence, and just as polarised politics has blinded many people to logic and reason, this argument is preventing both sides from simply enjoying a midfielder who has been lauded by nearly every manager he’s had, for club or country, as a vital component to his teams’ success regardless of his flaws.
This isn’t a video game. If you strip away the sensationalism around his mistakes, the YouTube breakdowns of his back passes, the statistics that can be shaped to either praise or condemn him and simply watch the lad play football, you’ll find a player that does an important job for a team with 19 wins from 23 matches and needing 14 wins to guarantee a Premier League title. The success of the team should cool the debate, yet somehow it has only added more heat.As for Keita, I still believe he’ll come good. Some look at Fabinho, his ability to influence the side and how comfortable he seems with his teammates.The two cases are apples to oranges. One has the task of playing just in front of Virgil van Dijk and a newly formed defence which has the luxury of being backed up by one of the finest goalkeepers in the world, Fab’s compatriot at that. The other is challenged with having an attacking influence in a team that contains the best front three on the planet, a group which has a full season’s worth of experience playing together.Most of the players in this side aren’t under the same pressure to impress, to justify a price tag and a year-long wait, or to earn their place in the starting XI as Keita is. For most, they’re just under pressure to be themselves and do what they do to their best of their ability.
Keita is in some ways an odd man out at the moment. The role we needed him to fulfil when we signed him is not as much a pressing concern as it is a desired luxury right now. Gini Wijnauldum’s evolution under our adjusted tactics hasn’t done him many favours. The early return of Alex Oxlade Chamberlain may deliver him another blow. But his day will come as Klopp surely has a long-term plan to see that player have his moment in the sun.Today, the Reds are top of the league and training in warm weather. They get paid to stress about pressure and to strategise for success. They don’t seem as nervous as us in the stands and pubs. Let’s take a page from their book for now. Because if they stay cool, we’ll have plenty of opportunity to lose our minds come May.By David Rice @davidjrice83 16+ PODCASTS P/MONTH
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