MX23RW : Friday, December 13 22:53:10| >> :120:7204:7204:

Jordan Henderson hits back at Jurgen Klopp transfer criticism

Jordan Henderson hits back at Jurgen Klopp transfer criticism
© Reuters
The Reds have not made a major summer signing.

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson insists manager Jurgen Klopp's judgement in the transfer market should not be questioned.

The Reds have added just youngsters Sepp Van Den Berg and Harvey Elliott to a squad which won the Champions League and finished second to Manchester City with the third-highest points total in Premier League history.

There has been criticism of Klopp for not making a significant signing in order to help his side's quest for a first domestic title since 1990, but Henderson said that was unwarranted.

Harvey Elliott, right, is one of just two signings made by Liverpool so far
Harvey Elliott, right, is one of just two signings made by Liverpool so far (Adam Davy/PA)

"If the manager hasn't signed anyone then he knows better than everyone else," said Henderson.

"I think we've got a fantastic squad of players, we've showed that. We can use everybody, we've got big players (Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain) coming back from long-term injuries, which is like new signings as the manager says.

"We believe we've got a strong group in the changing room, a strong team, and we've just got to keep learning, keep improving on the training pitch, keep doing what we've been doing for a long time now, and keep staying hungry for more success."

Liverpool lost to City on penalties in the Community Shield, but their second-half display suggests they can challenge the reigning champions this season – which gets under way on Friday when the Reds host Norwich.

Having been second-best for the opening 45 minutes at Wembley, Liverpool bounced back after the break and were the better side.

And they could have snatched victory in added time had Mohamed Salah's header not been acrobatically cleared by Kyle Walker just inches from the goalline.

"We were much better in the second half," added Henderson.

"I thought we played really well, back to what we know that we're capable of. So a lot of positives to take from the game.

"I thought we created some great chances, Mo created some really good chances to score (and was) a little bit unlucky not to score the header at the end.

Kyle Walker clears Mohamed Salah's header off the line
Kyle Walker clears Mohamed Salah's header off the line (Martin Rickett/PA)

"But it was really positive stuff and we take that going into the game Friday."

Liverpool finished with 97 points last season having lost just one match and they will have to maintain similar standards to have a chance of usurping City.

However, Henderson stressed the quality of the performances rather than the points tally was the one thing which would improve.

"We can't always think back to what we did last season. We're looking forward, we want to improve as a team," he said.

"There were a lot of games last year where we didn't play particularly well and play as well as we like and we did grind results out at times.

"Performance-wise we can be much better and that's what we've got to focus on. Performance has got to be improving all the time."

ID:367076: cacheID:367076:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8075:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Simon Mignolet in action for Liverpool on July 28, 2019
Read Next:
Simon Mignolet flies to Belgium to complete Club Brugge move
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Rams
12-6
49ers
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!