There is a wall in a windowless room on the bottom floor of the AXA Training Centre with a curtain. Don’t ask for the interior design quirk behind that — but behind it is a quote from a certain Jordan Henderson.
‘There is no better place to play than Liverpool,’ it says. And although he is loving life at new club Brentford, who play Liverpool today, and also had an enjoyable stint at Ajax last year, former Reds captain Henderson may privately stand by that sentiment.
Arne Slot never worked with Henderson at Liverpool but the Reds boss will know just how influential the 35-year-old was at Anfield, by virtue of seeing his quote up on the wall every day if nothing else.
Not that Slot needs reminding. He gets that every day when catching up with the news back home. The Dutch papers which he reads on his tablet are constantly running pieces on how much Ajax are missing Henderson’s leadership and on-pitch quality.
Around the Liverpool camp, Slot is told every day how integral the Sunderland-born midfielder was to the trophy-laden Jurgen Klopp era – the only captain of this club to lift all of the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup as skipper (plus the Club World Cup).
To recap, Henderson left Liverpool under a cloud of negativity in July 2023. The backlash went further than football after he was accused of turning his back on the LGBTQ+ community by moving to Saudi Arabia. His stint there did not last long but the reaction hurt him.
Virgil van Dijk has been a perfect Liverpool captain, marrying old-school standards with modern-day people skills
The centre back is still one of the finest around on the pitch too, and will be pivotal in turning around the Reds’ blip in form
Jordan Henderson was one of the best captains in Liverpool’s history – and the only man to win all of the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup as skipper
In footballing terms, there were worries his leadership was going to be a huge miss, especially given vice-captain James Milner and several other experienced heads departed that summer, such as Fabinho and Roberto Firmino.
Who knows, maybe it was missed slightly as Liverpool’s title hopes fell away in 2023-24 thanks to just three wins in their last eight league games, as they finished third and nine points adrift of champions Manchester City.
But overall, he has been succeeded by another titanic skipper in Virgil van Dijk. The standard-setter and warrior-like defender was the first player compatriot Slot called when he took over and he has been a perfect captain, marrying old-school standards with modern-day people skills.
In terms of vintage Premier League-era skippers, Van Dijk is up there with the likes of Roy Keane, John Terry, Vincent Kompany or Patrick Vieira.
‘For me he has been the most influential I have had since I have been a manager,’ said Slot yesterday. ‘Virgil has done what I expected of him. His own performances. He has been a leader throughout my period here.
‘Every single day, I can see he is the leader. If we start a session I can always hear him. I could not have asked more from him in that role.’
Why is this suddenly an issue on a random autumnal day, you ask. Because this week, Van Dijk earned his keep as skipper by putting on a players-only meeting where he and the squad went through some home truths after losing four games in a row for the first time since 2014.
Van Dijk was named man of the match after Liverpool’s thumping 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek
He knows he has to help everyone feel loved, especially the fringe players, and make the dressing room feel like a happy place – even in the bad times
He also spoke to some stars privately, such as in the four hours they were forced to kill when their plane to Frankfurt was delayed (they went back to the comfort of the AXA Training Centre) and on a coffee trip in the German city on matchday.
He told the squad – which is younger this year than last after a big summer outlay – to stay calm and block out all the negative noise. ‘Stay together, keep focused on the task ahead, try to improve, keep the confidence, embrace the moment,’ was the gist of his speech.
It was described as a relaxed setting and definitely not a ‘crisis meeting’. As Daily Mail Sport wrote on Monday, the reaction to defeat against Manchester United was calm not angry, though the group was feeling down. That is no longer the case – they all have a smile again now.
Henderson was the ultimate role model for Van Dijk as captain, who also learned from Scott Brown at Celtic. Be the loudest voice on the training pitch, help everyone feel loved, especially the fringe players, make the dressing room feel like a happy place – even in the bad times.
If it were not for Henderson and a text message he received when at Southampton, Van Dijk may never have ended up at Anfield. ‘I believe we can achieve something special in the next few seasons,’ wrote the then-Liverpool midfielder.
‘We have one of the best managers in the world and we have great players already in the squad. But the main thing for me is the togetherness of the team and how much we have improved. You would have a huge impact on this team and help us to become very successful.’
Boss Arne Slot celebrates with Curtis Jones after his side arrested their slump in Germany
And Van Dijk wheels away after scoring Liverpool’s second goal on the night, joined by Hugo Ekitike (right)
There is no doubt about whether or not the Dutchman fulfilled that last sentence. The whole conversation was persuasive, and likely something Van Dijk thought about when tempting players to sign for Liverpool this summer.
Like Van Dijk at Southampton, Florian Wirtz had clubs queuing up to sign him. So out came the phone and, after a brief chat, Wirtz was sold on the idea. Van Dijk’s salesmanship, leadership and intelligence will make for a good sporting director one day.
This week was a true test of his leadership traits – and he passed with flying colours. Sources close to players have this week described the skipper as the sort you would go into battle for.
‘I don’t think it was like Virgil brought them over and said, “From now on we must play like this!”,’ said Slot. ‘I encourage them to take responsibility and talk to each other.
‘If they do this when they are in the sauna and swimming pool, but especially if we have a leader like him (Van Dijk) with so much respect in the group, then it is a good thing.’
It would be wrong not to mention the other leaders at Liverpool, such as Andy Robertson, Alisson and Mohamed Salah – three role-models who are brilliant members of the senior group and have all helped raise the mood in recent weeks.
Indeed, the Reds have five players who are captains of their national team: Van Dijk (Netherlands), Robertson (Scotland), Salah (Egypt), Wataru Endo (Japan) and Dominik Szoboszlai (Hungary), the latter especially stepping up in the last two months.
Van Dijk called a players’ meeting this week, encouraging his team-mates to stay together and keep focused on the task ahead
The Dutchman is an immensely popular figure with Liverpool fans, even more so after leading them to the Premier League title last season
They all told the group that someone always knows better on the outside – and they must block out that noise. ‘This will turn,’ Szoboszlai said. ‘If you work hard and keep going, luck will come on your side.’
Robertson has not bothered texting Henderson any jibes before the Brentford match as he knows the uber-focused Bees star will not reply. Good friends, sure, but Henderson is an enemy for 90 minutes this weekend and will give his all to win.
Henderson, who has recently returned to the England fold under Thomas Tuchel, flew over from Amsterdam and was sitting in the posh seats at Anfield as his successor Van Dijk led Liverpool over the line to the Premier League title last April.
Football fans always want to compare players but on Saturday, two of this club’s finest-ever captains will lock horns. Van Dijk’s job this week has been just as big as Slot’s as the Dutch duo try to recover Liverpool’s season, which had been sliding towards crisis. Henderson will be proud.
