26 Jun 2026 07:51:55
A lot of engagement on my midfielder posts and someone called Hendo elite.
Hehe, hence proved why we don't get elite midfielders. Nobody wants to be compared to Lord Hendo.
26 Jun 2026 08:59:28
Harry they're going to come for you.
26 Jun 2026 09:38:51
As per your previous "midfield" post. Alonso wasn't elite when he came to Liverpool but he was when he left. To be honest I'm more than happy to buy players and give them the stage to move to that level, like the trajectory Szobo is taking.
As a club, we definitely seem to do better purchasing this type of player.
Nice to see you back, Harry. ?
26 Jun 2026 09:53:38
Part of bringing AI in is for his ability to build a team and system that gets the most out of our players. I wouldn't be surprised to see Grav, Macconnell, Dom and Wirtz reach new levels with us... I am really excited for the season ahead, though I think it will be a bumpy ride whilst we translation to his style of play.
26 Jun 2026 10:39:45
Alonso wasn't elite until he was playing for RM. He was good with us but was exceptional once back in Spain. imo only.
26 Jun 2026 10:51:54
Szobo, apart from his set piece prowess and an amazing shot, is an average midfielder at best. The amount of time he has switched the ball to his preferred foot to get the pass going is pretty bad. Like Jones, he dwells on the ball far too much and doesn't have a tackle in him.
Our best midfielder overall is still Macca, but his head is just not at Anfield.
Gravy is good, but his role is limited. He will do very well under Iraola. So would Macca. I don't know about Szobo cuz we probably will have Wirtz in his favoured position.
We can sell Jones and one of the 3 mids and get a real quality midfielder.
26 Jun 2026 10:53:05
I disagree, Shanks, the PL is a much tougher league so when going back to Spain he had a lot more "easy" games to play and stand out in.
In England most games you have to turn up to win.
Alonso could coast at 2nd gear in Spain in a lot of games.
26 Jun 2026 10:55:10
ThristforWirtz, who would you bring in to play in midfield that would be 'elite'?
26 Jun 2026 11:04:09
Said what I meant and meant what I said. Hendo was definitely elite, and anybody who thinks otherwise, I'd genuinely question their ball knowledge or impartiality. You don't captain Liverpool for 8 years and lift every major club honour in that period if you're an average player.
I've seen the guy pocket Barcelona and Man City midfields, who many people would point to as being two of the greatest sides ever. So many people sleep on the quality of our players individually under Klopp, because we only won 1 title but we were regularly racking up 92-99 points; it's only City and their financial doping that robbed us of more.
That kind of points tally cannot be achieved with an average player in midfield. In a Liverpool all time Prem XI, Hendo is the 3rd name on the team sheet after Gerrard and Salah, and he's probably captain of that team as well.
26 Jun 2026 11:19:29
Totally agree, MK.
26 Jun 2026 11:21:10
I'd rather they became elite at our club. Becoming an elite footballer at Liverpool Football Club is one of the greatest honours you can achieve. There aren't many better places to become a club legend, although some behaviour towards some of our players over the past few years has tarnished that a little.
The Hendo thing, I get both sides, and there is an argument for both. Personally, I absolutely loved everything about the man, and have had many an argument over him.
For me, he is one of the most criminally underrated players of his generation, and, as MK has alluded to, you don't captain us and lead us to all that silverware if you're not elite at what you do.
There are many many aspects that can make you elite in this game, not just footballing ability alone, and I'm sure if you asked any professional they would give Jordan a very glowing reference.
26 Jun 2026 11:23:08
Just to add, the sheer determination and drive of the man to get where he got to from where he was early on in his Liverpool career should tell you all you need to know...
26 Jun 2026 11:40:32
Agree with every word, MK.
26 Jun 2026 11:42:16
You ain't lying, Mks. I fully agree.
Btw, I thought Harry was Cafu.
No? Ah, never mind. Moving on.
26 Jun 2026 11:48:29
MK, you can question my ball knowledge, but I'd have to question your prescription if you're calling Hendo elite. He was a very good leader, communicator, and footballer, but elite players like Gerrard, Scholes, Zidane, Xavi, Iniesta etc. I love Hendo, but he is absolutely nowhere near that bracket.
26 Jun 2026 11:57:53
And anybody who thinks otherwise, I'd genuinely question their ball knowledge or impartiality.
Good to see you think of yourself so highly, MK.
26 Jun 2026 12:45:35
Mk, there is probably a big space between average and elite. Henderson was neither average nor elite. A very good leader and professional with a good footballing brain and decent ability.
I might question your impartiality, suggesting Hendo is on the same level as Keane or he's 3rd on our all time Premier League team. Ahead of Virgil? Or Ali? The best in their position in the world.
26 Jun 2026 13:01:51
He is likely both Oli.
Hendon was an elite leader of the team. The closed down COVID season went a long way to hearing that. He was a very good player, but his leadership helped knot the team together and kept us right.
He is probably exactly what the current team is missing right now. If we had that organiser, encouragement and ability to hold people accountable during games on the pitch, we would be far better off.
26 Jun 2026 13:54:15
Hendo was a terrific captain, but I don't buy that he held everyone accountable and wouldn't allow performances to drop spiel.
8 years he was captain and the club won the league once (same as Vvd who apparently isn't a good captain) and one CL.
Alongside 1 FA and 1 League Cup.
During those 8 seasons, we finished 8th, 4th twice, and 5th in his last season.
26 Jun 2026 14:20:14
Both Gini and Fabinho were better than Hendo and neither fall as elite.
I am not looking at potential to be elite; I am talking actual elite - Vitinha, Valverde, Bellingam, Jao Neves, Enzo.
For 150 and 100m we should be seeking such players out. But, we somehow just look at players that had a great last season and spend top dollar.
I know everyone in the EPL is guilty of that, but we could be different.
Also, we should be signing Morgan Rogers. I can't believe we will let him sign for Arsenal without any competition!!!
26 Jun 2026 15:22:14
Chewy, in the case of your views vs mine, I think the difference is mostly in how we define "elite". None of those players you listed are elite in my opinion, they're all beyond that level. Scholes and Xavi, I'd say, were world class. Gerrard and Zidane, I'd say, were beyond world class even, and arguably generational talents. Iniesta could easily slot in either of those categories, but he's also far beyond elite in my opinion. Above that you've got the top tier which is GOAT level. Messi, Maradonna etc.
Is it really outrageous for me to suggest Henderson is in the 4th tier of footballers in terms of quality? That's still elite in my opinion.
He was so under-rated. I'm not swapping him for any other Prem CM/DM other than Vieira or Rodri. If you go back to my original post, I never said Hendo was the best or world class etc. I used words along the lines of "I think Hendo is in the same conversation as Keane, Kante, Carrick etc." That's not me saying you don't know ball if you think they're better. I'm just not having it that Hendo didn't belong at an elite club/elite level of football. He would never have had the respect of actual world class players if he was nowhere near their ability.
26 Jun 2026 15:29:49
In the same breath you said we need to be signing elite players and Morgan Rogers. ?
26 Jun 2026 15:45:57
Enzo Fernandez is elite?! Surely you can't be suggesting that Enzo Fernandez is a better footballer than Hendo was. I'm absolutely not having that.
Preposterous suggestion, in my opinion. He doesn't even deserve to belong in the same category as Bellingham, Vitinha, Joao Neves, Pedri etc.
I don't think that Hendo was really that close to being an elite footballer, but he absolutely wasn't average either.
He was in the top bracket of center mids in European football when he was playing for us. He was a much better passer and technician than people are willing to give him credit for, which is bizarre, because he showed it with us on a pretty regular basis.
26 Jun 2026 18:43:27
I would put Hendo in the same bracket as Roy Keane, but without the lunacy and high maintenance ego.
Keane is rightly a legend for Man U, and Hendo is a LFC legend. Wonderful midfielders in our domestic league, but not quite in the very top bracket (Graeme S, Stevie G, Patrick V, Scholes, maybe even Petit?).
We all forget that Keane was not a DM. He was at his best with the likes of Nicky Butt supporting him. Keane was a dynamo, and like Hendo, possibly got far less goals and assists than we would expect.
27 Jun 2026 06:12:51
How can you be 'beyond world class'?
Did I miss them playing on the moon?
I must have asked a million times for people to stop exaggerating / devaluing the meaning of words.