Programme notesHenderson: Whatever is going on, we have a responsibility to give our all

The Reds are set to meet Shrewsbury Town at Anfield in the third round of the Emirates FA Cup, having faced more hurdles this week with the postponement of their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg and temporary closure of the AXA Training Centre due to the number of suspected positive COVID-19 cases within the camp.

Without Jürgen Klopp and a significant number of players, Henderson and his teammates battled to earn a 2-2 draw away at Chelsea in their most recent fixture last Sunday.

Writing in his column in the matchday programme for today’s FA Cup tie, the captain said: “It’s no secret that the last couple of weeks have been hugely challenging for us on a number of fronts, not least dealing with a COVID outbreak which affected the playing squad and management at such a crucial period in the season.

“In the grand scheme of things, I’m not naive enough to think that a football club experiencing these kinds of problems should do anything other than pale into insignificance given the seriousness of the problem around the world, but as a team it has undoubtedly been a difficult spell.

“What I’m proud of, though, is that no-one associated with the club has used these issues as an excuse. Up until the point when it became impossible for us to continue, we have fulfilled our fixtures and kept on going even when we have been without key individuals either on the bench or on the pitch.

“Pep Lijnders referred to this after we drew at Stamford Bridge last weekend and he echoed my feelings. There was no feeling sorry for ourselves or looking for reasons why we might not succeed. We gave everything we had to try to get a win and even though we fell short, no-one could question our effort or our commitment.

“For me, this is a hallmark of this club and it is one that we should cherish because it gives us an identity and a collective spirit that can’t be dampened by circumstance. Whatever is going on, our bare minimum is that whoever is fortunate enough to pull on a red shirt on any given day has a responsibility to go out and give their absolute all.

“At the time of writing these notes I have no idea who will play today due to everything that’s going on, but I also have no doubt that the attitude and approach will be exactly the same as it has been.

“At the same time, I know Shrewsbury Town will turn up at Anfield hell-bent on making a statement for their club and their supporters because this is a great opportunity for them on one of the biggest stages and in a competition which made its name on the back of giant-killings and football fairy tales.

“We are under no illusions about what lies in store because the most basic rule of the FA Cup will apply – if we are not at our best we will run the risk of the kind of shock that we need to avoid.”

Henderson continued: “As well as the players who are unavailable through injury or illness, we will also be missing Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita, who are currently involved in the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

“It goes without saying that we will miss players of their quality – any team in the world would – but in the dressing room we have only best wishes for the three of them as they play for their countries in a massive tournament.

“Having represented England in major tournaments, I know how special that kind of experience is and how much pride it can bring to players and their families, so I hope Mo, Sadio and Naby all enjoy it as much as they possibly can and do themselves proud before returning to Liverpool.

“In their absence we will look to keep pushing on. As I said at the outset, things aren’t straightforward at the moment but we have always responded well to adversity and we need to do the same now.

“We have had a few results that have fallen short of what we would have wanted, but the only way to put that right is by rolling our sleeves up and getting it right on the pitch – starting today.”

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