Why Jordan Henderson's injury has become a visual metaphor for Liverpool's title defence

Jurgen Klopp’s press conference may soon become a rendition of, ‘Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before’.

Another week, another injury, another lengthy lay-off.

This time it is captain Jordan Henderson who will miss between six to eight weeks having undergone groin surgery. There was some consolation for the midfielder/emergency central defender when confirming the operation. He expects to recover in time to play the final weeks of this campaign, and is not giving up on featuring for England in the European Championships.

“The best case scenario I don’t know,” said Klopp. “It’s not a quick one but we all hope there is a possibility for him to play this season. We have so many injured players not available at the moment, and most of them are our leaders in the group.” 

Henderson picked up the latest injury during last weekend’s 2-0 Merseyside derby defeat, leaving the field in the first half. Typically, he tried to play on with one working leg, a sadly appropriate visual metaphor for Liverpool’s title defence.

When the football historians capture the image of how Klopp’s champions were knocked off their perch after becoming European, English and world champions pre-lockdown, they might do so depicting star players limping away from the Premier League trophy on crutches, probably wearing a face mask. 

Now Liverpool must adapt without another key man, and the usual judgements on their season’s objectives look increasingly absurd given the physical and psychological traumas many of their key personnel have endured, or are still dealing with. Some of those ordeals make football trivial. No-one can be sure when Alisson Becker will play next after the tragic death of his father. 

With Henderson out, Liverpool’s chances of making the top four have receded further. 

Premier League 2020/21 latest standings (top six)

They are outsiders for the top four now, regressing because of personnel problems. To retain elite status in next year’s competition, they may have to win the darn competition again in May.

The luckless injury run has been unrelenting. Based solely on the absentees, Klopp could put together a formidable line-up, Henderson joining Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Fabinho and James Milner as among the most significant. 

At least Diogo Jota, missing since December, is nearing a return. “He trained twice with the team but was a long time out. He looks promising,” said Klopp. “The way he came back into training is positive. We have to make a decision about when it makes sense for him (to play).”

Jota has been missed, but it’s the chain reaction of the centre-back problems which has contaminated the team’s structure.

As Klopp said when asked about his defensive options prior to making two deadline day signings, it has been a case of ‘last man standing’ in his back four. That was before Fabinho and Henderson’s latest difficulties. Unless he fast-tracks Fabinho back into the line-up once he has overcome hamstring issues (the Brazilian will return to training on Saturday), Klopp must make do with the raw Ozan Kabak, inexperienced Nat Phillips and so far unused Ben Davies. These players cannot reasonably be expected to be the defensive rocks of a top-four pursuit, or Champions League run. 

One shudders to imagine what Klopp would have done had the club not changed course and decided to buy two centre-backs before the deadline. 

Klopp has been invited on several occasions to use injuries as an excuse for poor results. Prior to Sunday's trip to Sheffield United, he was again reluctant to do so.

“We don’t have to talk too much. We just have to win as many points as possible,” he said, anticipating common sense will prevail without him having to constantly point towards the treatment room.  

The Liverpool manager knows there is no sympathy from those who believe a club should have contingency measures in place, no matter how unprecedented or unforeseen many of the circumstances. That debate can continue, but how many teams expect to cope with five injuries in one position?

While so many of their players are in rehab, it's difficult for anyone trying to explain how and where Liverpool’s title defence went wrong - and why this season may get even worse - to change the record.