Perhaps unsurprisingly, Liverpool were far from spectacular again when they took on West Brom last Saturday. A few months earlier and the game would have been a routine win on home soil. Indeed it was last October with a Luis Suárez-inspired home side easing to a 4-1. win. Sure, they took a vital three points this time around too, winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Adam Lallana and Jordan Henderson either side of a Saido Berahino penalty but Brendan Rodgers' side were still a long way away from the displays that they continuously produced throughout 2013-14. All season, they've been a long way away from the level of performances required to consistently grind out results and ultimately finish in that elite top four bracket, but it's not all negative.
However, there was one man who did stand out against Albion. A man who once arrived a shy teenager looking for the next step in his career, and an expensive teenager at that too. £16 million was shelled out on a promising 21-year-old Sunderland midfielder named Jordan Henderson three years ago, and it's perhaps a credit to his testament that he remains the only player of Kenny Dalglish's infamous £100-million plus spending spree to have survived the cull. Andy Carroll, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing, between them cost the club more than £60 million but their spells on Merseyside have very much had a veil drawn over them. Their Liverpool careers failed to live up to their weighty expectations. Not Jordan Henderson's. From outcast to fan favourite, his story is eerily Lucas Leiva-esque. In fact, his £16 million fee is looking better business by the day as he matures and grows into an ever-important player for the club.
Henderson has become crucial not only to Liverpool, but to Rodgers. Nothing said that more that when the Reds crumbled in his absence in the last three Premier League games of last season. Having been on course for their first title since 1990, Henderson was sent off for an uncharacteristically rash tackle late against Manchester City and missed three games in which Liverpool went on to drop five huge points and consequently lose their grip on the title. During those games, Liverpool lacked his energy and dynamism in the centre of the park and were completely overrun against Crystal Palace and Chelsea.
The Reds are lucky that his loss was not more permanently damagining, however. Henderson luckily had the courageness to refuse a move to Fulham as the Rodgers tried to bargain for Clint Dempsey back in 2012 and it proved to be a pivotal. Since that moment, the 24-year-old midfielder has not only established himself as one of the most integral players in the Liverpool side, he's rightly earned the vice-captaincy after Daniel Agger's departure and when it was once deemed a joke that Henderson could help fill the void left by Steven Gerrard once he retires, it's now a very realistic and likely possibility.
Over the years, the once timid teenager has grew in stature, confidence and as a player overall. Henderson's limitless energy has been harnessed into knowledgable pressing and harrying, ensuring he gives no opponent enough time on the ball and he ensures they are under pressure for the full 90 minutes. His passing, both long and short, has developed radically and he's more than capable of finding a team-mate be they 10-yards or 60-yards from him. His physicality, penchant for finding space and powerful driving forward runs are typical of the rejuvenated Henderson. Not to mention his leadership skills, too. Nowadays, you'll see the ex-Mackem with his arm around the younger players as they walk off the pitch, whispering encouraging words in their ear and acting as a senior figure amongst a crop of talented youngsters. He's even developed the courage to give stern words to Steven Gerrard, forcing an apologetic raised arm from his skipper after Henderson clearly disagreed with his decision making late on versus Alan Irvine's side. His game as a whole has come on leaps and bounds, and though he's far from the complete article, he's evolving each and every day into a more all-rounded midfielder.
His target for the season, likely for himself and from his manager, was to improve his output in the final third. Previously he had managed only two goals in 48 appearances in his maiden season, six in 44 in his second and five in 40 in the 2013-14 campaign. However, his performance against West Brom proved that's more likely down to his role in the side as opposed to his personal qualities. He's been rather restricted from pushing up recently, having been operated as one of the players to protect and make up for Gerrard's lack of mobility, but when allowed to venture further forward - he can really flourish. Played in the diamond with Gerrard in the no.10, Henderson could really get at West Brom's back four and it paid off massively for them.
Despite what some may have you believe, Henderson can finish. He proved that with a cool inside-of-the-foot effort that he stroked home versus the Baggies on the hour mark, and he's proved it with other neat finishes against Swansea City, Spurs and Notts County last year. Not only that, he can create too. His audacious flicks into feet in and around the box have almost become trademark and he did it again to set up Adam Lallana's sublime opening goal. He has skill and flair in abundance, showcasing it against Tottenham, Aston Villa and more and in addition to his power, pressing and passing, it's not too far-fetched to suggest he's close to the complete package.
Slowly but surely, he's becoming the natural successor to the Gerrard and filling the captain's role of old in the Liverpool midfield. That powerful presence roaming from box-to-box, propelling the Reds forward and becoming increasingly important to Rodgers' system. This season, Henderson has scored or assisted 40% of the club's goals and he's even more influential outside of that, organising the midfield and pressing the opposition into mistakes. It's only now that his talent is finally being realised, and it's now that Henderson is truly finding himself.
From the confidence-lacking teenager to an England international, Henderson has worked very hard to get himself into the position he's in today. When once he could have taken the easy route out of Liverpool and tried to realise his potential at a lesser club, he instead stepped up to the plate and now the Reds are desperate to tie him down to a new and improved contract. He's earned it, and he's only going to continue exceeding himself. Here's to you Jordan Henderson.