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Jordan Henderson’s 18th-minute booking illustrated just how difficult the midfield battle was for England against Spain on Saturday night. Gareth Southgate’s 3-1-4-2 setup may have allowed England to dominate lesser-fancied sides at the World Cup but elite opposition can pin it back into more of a 5-3-2, leaving a midfield trio designed to cause problems going forward fractiously closing down in an attempt to protect the Three Lions’ defensive third.
With Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard looking to support the front two, the toughest challenge falls to the man at the base of midfield, Jordan Henderson, whose task became Mission Impossible against a Spain side overflowing with playmaking talent.
Fighting a wave of creativity almost single-handed and always outnumbered, Henderson became immediately engulfed by relentless La Roja onslaughts at Wembley – which is why, when Isco skipped away from him early in the first half to forge a free run at England’s backline, the Liverpool skipper felt compelled to commit the kind of cynical foul that would seem shrewdly economical in the closing stages of a tight-knit game, but tellingly cheap within the first quarter of what would prove to be a taxing 90 minutes.
It’s clear Southgate needs to find either an evolution to or a world-class alternative for that midfield setup, which so heavily depends on the resilience and distribution of one player, to work against the international elite.
We’ve seen Fernandinho perform similar duties at Manchester City, but the tenacious Brazilian is working every day under arguably the greatest manager in the world and belongs to a higher calibre than Henderson anyway. Southgate doesn’t have the luxury of daily exposure to ingrain the skills and tactical understanding the 28-year-old needs to be such an effective one-man band – especially in such an idiosyncratic setup.
Regardless of how impossible the task set before him was on Saturday though, Henderson’s wayward attempt to complete it should give not only England but also Liverpool cause for concern. In fairness, having only made his first Premier League start the weekend previous, the 45-cap international clearly lacked sharpness against Spain.
But even so, failing to register a tackle, an interception, a created chance or an effort at goal – while suffering two unsuccessful touches and one dispossession in the most vulnerable area of the pitch – was a damning indictment of Henderson’s performance, which Southgate rightly cut short after 55 minutes. Even away from open play, it was Henderson’s lack of concentration at the near post that allowed Rodrigo to score what would prove to be Spain’s winner, letting the ball in inexplicably fizz past him.
Curiously, at both club and international level, Henderson finds himself in a similar place – an experienced figure and dressing room leader, but part of teams that are looking to rapidly evolve. Henderson has served a purpose for England, yet it feels as if an alternative is needed to really push the Three Lions to the next level.
Likewise, having looked so workaday in midfield against Europe’s best during last season’s Champions League run, Henderson has found competition for a starting berth this term painfully tough following a summer of exciting engine room recruitment. While not everything can be based on one performance, especially with such a daunting task imposed upon him, it does feel like Henderson’s starting to be left behind on both fronts.
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