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When will this Liverpool man make the step-up in class?

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Young Jordan Henderson has come under an incredible amount of flack since he joined Liverpool, for not offering enough attacking prowess to his new side. The fact is however, he doesn’t do too much wrong, and will improve as he gains more experience playing for a top side. At this stage it’s too early to worry about his development. He has time and he’s surrounded by all the right people. Once he’s found some form and gets some confidence I have little doubt that he’ll win over Liverpool’s fans.

Most of the concerns regarding Jordan Henderson are a result of his extortionate £16m price-tag. Now there’s every chance that Liverpool overpaid for Henderson, or to put it more kindly, that the youngster doesn’t yet look like a player worthy of this price-tag, but the fact remains that the criticism is almost certainly a direct result of the large fee that was placed upon his head this summer.

Conversely, could this be why Charlie Adam has generally escaped criticism so far this season? He was a relative bargain, joining the club from Blackpool for a fee of just £7m in the summer. Could it be that this comparatively low price-tag has lowered Liverpool fan’s expectations of Adam? Have we all forgotten just how good he was in the first half of last season? Is it too early to judge his worth to Liverpool?

There are plenty of questions surrounding Adam at the moment, but I can’t help but feel just a tad underwhelmed by some of his performances in Red so far this season. On two major occasions, Liverpool have been found wanting this season and Adam was unable to rise to the occasion.

He seems to struggle when Liverpool come across a team playing at a high tempo, as Tottenham did when they beat the Reds 4-0, or, to a lesser extent, as Stoke did when they stole a 1-0 victory. Liverpool’s midfield is starting to look a little slow and Adam in particular has been rather quiet. He doesn’t move the ball quickly enough and his own lack of pace has been somewhat costly in terms of moving from box-to-box.

Moreover, Lucas has had to work harder to cover for Adam, who doesn’t seem to fulfil all his defensive duties.

At the moment, I may appear a little too harsh, or a little too negative. I understand that Adam is a good player, who can provide his team with moments of genius and genuine ability when it comes to set-pieces. But perhaps the way the Reds are currently set-up isn’t ideal for Adam. Liverpool shouldn’t be getting overrun by Tottenham.

My personal feeling is that Charlie Adam is much better suited to a 3-man midfield where he is permitted to sit back and dictate play, in a similar fashion to the way Xabi Alonso did. Playing alongside both Gerrard and Lucas, could really kickstart Adam’s Liverpool career and I personally hope that Kenny’s open to adapting his system a little.

Blackpool to Liverpool is a rather large step-up in quality and Adam should be given every

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0 comments

  • MJ says:

    Blackpool not Blackburn you fools

  • steve says:

    i criticised Adam’s red card against Tottenham but on the pitch i cant understand the reason people are criticising him.his passing is very good,his free-kicks,corner-kicks are top class too and overally he offers a lot to the team.he aint good at defending and he is not the fastest person in the team but the same was with Xabi,who might be slow but is a gifted pass-master.
    Reina
    Johnson Coates Skrtel Enrique
    Gerrard Lucas Adam
    Bellamy Suarez Downing
    YNWA

    • Stan says:

      you have to be joking about comparing Adam to Alonso…mate what game are you watching ..Adam is a hack pure and simple. Other than his set pieces he is useless. Thats why he wasnt good enough for the Scottish league and your trying to compare him to Alonso? Dont even go there.

  • Bernard Mwaniki says:

    Adam came from Blackpool not Blackburn. Do you write this stuff with your eyes closed or what?

  • Lung says:

    Henderson “doesn’t do too much wrong”!?! I think you need to check his stats mate…

    http://www.empireofthekop.com/anfield/2011/09/25/jordan-henderson-the-first-six-games/

  • ka1991 says:

    i agree with Lung, henderson makes loads of mistakes gives away possession too much, he may have potential but at the moment liverpool need more than potential when your in the starting 11 each week

  • David Dougan says:

    Charlie Adam had a good start to his Rangers career under Paul Le Guen, but when Walter Smith came in he was moved to left midfield and struggled.

    When he’s on form, his set-pieces and passing can be very good, but there’s always been question marks over his fitness, and he often wastes possession (he almost always shoots from the halfway line).

    He can help Liverpool, but I’m not sure he’s good enough for a regular start if everyone else is fit.

  • 3PHDs says:

    The problem with Henderson: I am unsure if he is a man or woman. He is built like a woman, behaves like a woman, runs as if he wears a skirt, waves his hands like a woman and nags his team mates like a woman. He is incredibly lazy and should not be playing in a man’s league.

  • DaveWestAus again says:

    Dalglish is persevering with Carroll,Adam & Henderson in the hope they prove to the new owners that he has that he has bought value for money!
    Unfortunately I think they could be his downfall as Manager! I don’t think he is the man to succeed at Anfield!

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