The Premier League transfer window looks like kicking into action early this summer, with Liverpool and Man United on the verge of deals for Jordan Henderson and Phil Jones respectively. Liverpool’s £16m deal for Henderson follows on from last season’s investment in young English talent from the North East, when Andy Carroll joined up at Anfield in January.
The transfer is an intriguing one; it’s clear the club’s new owners wouldn’t be spending such a significant amount of money if the player wasn’t part of Kenny Dalglish’s first-team plans, but with plenty of midfield options already at the club, there’s uncertainty over where the new boy will fit in, and at whose expense.
Last season Sunderland mainly played 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 last season, with Henderson missing just one league match during the entire campaign. A look at his Playing Positions from last season shows he played 26 games in central midfield, grabbing four assists, but it was on the right wing that Henderson found his eye for goal, netting three times in the eight games he played out wide.
Dirk Kuyt is usually the one wide right when Liverpool play four in midfield but Dalglish was tactically flexible since returning to the club last season, even trying three at the back on occasion. Henderson, like most of Liverpool’s players, will need to be adaptable to his manager‘s needs. Here’s a look at his main stats for last season, compared with the three men he’ll be battling with for a place either in the middle or on the right: Steven Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and Raul Meireles.
Goal Threat
Gerrard/Kuyt/Meireles Average:1.6 Shots per game, 51% Shots on Target, 7.33 Goals.
Jordan Henderson: 0.9 Shots per game, 38% Shots on Target, 3 Goals.
The trio’s stats are boosted here by the number of times Dirk Kuyt played up front, but, given that Meireles scored 5 and Gerrard 4, it’s fair to say that Liverpool’s weren’t overly reliant on their midfield men finding the net as a means of success last season.
Compared to Gerrard, in particular, Henderson’s goal threat stands up to scrutiny. Playing in a Sunderland team that suffered in the second half of the season, he may have averaged only half the number of goal attempts (0.9 Shots per game to the Liverpool captain‘s 1.7), but Henderson edges Gerrard on Shots on Target (38% to 37%) suggesting that when he takes a shot, he has a similar eye for goal and, playing in a more attacking team, should find the net more often.
Henderson will have to up his efforts, though; the likes of Stéphane Sessegnon (1.8) and Kieran Richardson (1.4) both had more Shots per game for the Black Cats last term. In short, he needs to follow Gerrard’s lead and shoot more often.
Distribution
Gerrard/Kuyt/Meireles Average: 47.5 Passes per game, 2.07 Key Passes per game, Pass Accuracy 77.6%. Passes/Key Passes 4.3%
Jordan Henderson: 44.4 Passes per game, 2.22 Key Passes per game, Pass Accuracy 81%, Passes/Key Passes 5%.
Henderson’s stats fare well up against all three individually, with Gerrard the nearest for Pass Accuracy with 80%. Henderson made almost the same number of Passes per game as Kuyt and Meireles, but averaged over 0.5 Key Passes more every match than Kuyt and 0.2 more than Meireles.
Gerrard saw much more of the ball than Henderson; he had 21 Touches more per game and made 15 Passes more than Henderson on average but it’s what Henderson does when he gets the ball that is critical here- 2.22 of his 44.4 Passes per game are Key Passes, or 5%.
Every 2.52 of Gerrard’s 59.8 Passes per game are Key Passes, which is 4%, suggesting that Henderson has the better eye for a killer ball. Kuyt managed 4% (1.7 Key Passes, 42 Passes) too, with Meireles on 4.9% (2 Key Passes, 40.2 Passes). Clearly, his distribution is already at a level that will boost his new team’s threat to opponents.
Defensive Work
Gerrard/Kuyt/Meireles Average: 2.5 Tackles, 1.8 Interceptions, 65.6% Tackles Won, 45.6% Aerial Duels Won.
Jordan Henderson- 1.6 Tackles, 1.7 Interceptions, 68.7% Tackles Won, 40% Aerial Duels Won.
What’s clear here is Henderson needs to be more industrious and make more challenges. He only picked up 2 Yellow Cards last season and a lack of tackles is a contributing factor. While Lucas sat deep in the Liverpool midfield, averaging 5.2 Tackles per game, Lee Cattermole made the most for Sunderland, on 3.9 Tackles per game. Liverpool’s game under Dalglish is high energy; moving the ball around quickly, chasing and harrying down opponents; Henderson will definitely need to adjust to a new style of play- Gerrard made 2.8 Tackles on average compared to the new boy’s 1.6.
A positive sign is Henderson’s 68.7% Tackles Won. It shows that when he does challenge, he is highly capable of winning the ball. Gerrard picked up 67% here and Meireles 70%, highlighting his success rate for challenges is of similar quality to the more established pair. Henderson’s Interceptions are on a par with his new team mates’ as his reading of the game and ability to break up opponents’ moves already impressive. He does fall down on Aerial Duels, though, winning just 40%, compared to Gerrard and Meireles’ 50%.
