Henderson: Our objective isn't to entertain - it's to win games
Liverpool's enterprising brand of football may have seen them take the tag as Premier League entertainers so far this season, but Jordan Henderson insists their style of play is centered around the team's strengths rather than aesthetics.
The Reds head into the latest round of fixtures joint-top of the table, level on points with Manchester City and Arsenal.
They’ve also scored a division-high 24 times in just 10 top-flight matches – a figure only City can match.
Nevertheless, while Henderson accepts the reasoning behind suggestions Liverpool are the team to watch on current form, the captain is eager to stress there is a clear strategy behind their approach.
He told Premier League Productions: “The main priority for us is if we’re performing and playing the way we can then obviously it is entertaining football, it is high-intensity and everybody is going to enjoy watching us.
“But we do it for a reason – and the reason is because that’s the best way to play football and the best way to win games for us as a team.
“That’s why we do it, so if we don’t win then we haven’t done something right, we need to work on something a little bit more or we haven’t performed on that particular day.
“If we keep doing what we’ve been doing, keep working on the training field and listening to what the manager wants, and then applying that on the weekend then it’ll be very entertaining, but there’s a purpose to it – and for me, it’s the best way for us to win.”
That purposefulness has yielded a current run of 11 matches unbeaten in all competitions.
Therefore, it’s only natural that confidence within the Liverpool squad is in the ascendancy – so is it fair to assume the players are enjoying themselves each time they step out onto the field?
“Definitely,” is Henderson’s response. “With the players we’ve got in the team – we’ve got some unbelievable players – and we’ve been working well as a team and a squad.
“Even the players that haven’t been playing as much have been brilliant in training and I think that’s really important throughout the season. Everyone is enjoying it, and it also helps when you’re winning.
“Everyone is enjoying it and the lads that haven’t been playing have been just as big of a part of winning games with the training that we do. If we carry that on, then we’re going in the right direction.”
A feature of Liverpool’s impressive opening to the campaign has been the attacking play of Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane, with the trio causing havoc to opposing defences with movement, speed of thought and precision.
“They’ve been fantastic,” Henderson said, adding the superb trident has been well supported by those behind them.
“Nobody has scored more, so that just tells you the story… the front three, front four, front five at times with people joining in from midfield like Ads, Emre, Gini or whoever it is, they’ve been brilliant.
“Everyone is chipping in with goals, it’s spread out, people who are coming in are getting goals, so going forward I think we’ve been excellent. It’s up to us to make sure as a team that when those players are going forward, expressing themselves and doing what they need to do, then the players behind are all always switched on and are there for protection.
“[Firmino, Mane and Coutinho] are fantastic players to begin with, they’ve got a great understanding of football, how to play together and how to link up – but that’s not just those three, it’s the players that come in as well.
“On the training field, we work a lot in the final third on how we can break teams down. Of late, we’ve been doing that very well. For the other players, it’s a matter of letting them get on with their job but also still being in the situation to protect and think about what could happen next.”
Henderson also tackled the narrative on Liverpool's defensive record, but added the team are always focused on advancement in all areas.
“A lot of the pundits and press up will big up that we’re conceding too many goals, but in terms of the team, when you’re actually in a game, I feel as though we’re dominating games and teams aren’t getting many chances,” the skipper reflected.
“We’re definitely going in the right direction. Always we want to improve, we always want to do better and we’ll work hard on the training pitch.
“If we keep going in that direction and keep improving, then we’ll improve in all areas – not just conceding, but scoring goals as well.”