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10th July this year, Jordan Henderson will complete one year as the Captain of Liverpool Football Club. He was promoted from vice-captain to Captain by then Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers following the departure of previous captain Steven Gerrard to MLS club LA Galaxy, who had led the club for more than a decade.
However, a persistent heel injury and a broken bone in his right foot meant Henderson missed a number of matches in a season where Liverpool played 63 matches across all competitions. Further, with Jürgen Klopp becoming the new manager in October 2015 and the introduction of his Gegenpressing, the team suffered a number of injuries and Klopp had to rotate the squad frequently. This led to 10 players captaining the team across the entire season.
With Klopp looking to stamp his authority on the squad this season coupled with Henderson’s form and fitness worries last season, everyone awaits to find out who will wear the captain’s armband in the coming season. As the announcement is due soon, we take a look at the 5 possible choices for the role.
5. Lucas Leiva
Having joined in the summer of 2007, Lucas Leiva is currently the longest serving player at the club. His game has seen a lot of transition in that period with he joining the club as a box-to-box midfielder from Grêmio and then turning into the best defensive midfielder in the league. However, an anterior cruciate ligament injury in December 2011 ruled him out of the 2011-2012 season and he was never the same player again. Last season under Klopp, Lucas was deployed as a makeshift centre-half due to the injury crisis at the club. His tackling and game-reading abilities ensured that he did a fine job and played an integral part in Liverpool’s upturn of form after an abysmal start to the season.
His ability combined with his experience at the club makes him a decent candidate for the captain’s armband. However, he does not suit Klopp’s high energy style of football with age catching up as well. As a number of players are vying up for the midfield positions including new signing Marko Gruji and the fact that the club is looking to bring in a defensive midfielder, Lucas’ days at the clubs could be numbered. He may have to accept the role of a squad player in order to stay at the club. This highly reduces his chances of being named as captain in comparison to the rest of the names on this list.
4. James Milner
He was signed as a free agent from Manchester City in the summer of 2015 by Brendan Rodgers and appointed as vice-captain. He struggled playing in his preferred central role in the first few months at his new club but after the arrival of Klopp and being shifted out wide, his form improved and he ended the season with 7 goals and 14 assists. He is an underrated attacking asset who contributes greatly to the team’s defensive work. The Englishman led the team 24 times last season in the absence of Jordan Henderson.
However, with summer recruits joining the club who can play out wide and in midfield, Milner might find it difficult to nail a first team place to be in contention for leading the side. His age does him no favours as well for Klopp will be looking for a long term captain. For the upcoming season, Milner will be a very valuable squad player owing to his work-rate and fitness. However, he will not be wearing the captain’s armband and might not even be the vice-captain as there are more eligible players at the club.
3. Dejan Lovren
After a calamitous first season at the club following a £20 million transfer from Southampton, Dejan Lovren slowly picked form in his second season when new manager Jürgen Klopp paired him with Mamadou Sakho and shifted him to the right centre-back role. The 27-year old Croat was one half of the defensive rock that took Liverpool to the brink of European glory. He scored the winning goal in re-creation of the historic Istanbul comeback at Anfield against Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League and etched himself into Liverpool folklore.
Known as a man who is never hesitant to pride over his performances and speak about his quality, he became more vocal on the pitch as the season progressed. However, he needs to improve his consistency especially in big games as was evident from his poor display in the Europa League final against Sevilla. Even with the arrival of Joël Matip, he looks to be a guaranteed starter in the line-up which puts him in a healthy position to be considered for the captain’s role.
2. Mamadou Sakho
If not for the pending UEFA hearing on him for a doping offence, Mamadou Sakho would have been the automatic choice for captaining Liverpool. An absolute rock in defence, vehemently loved by the Liverpool fans, extremely charitable and with an increasing cult following, Sakho is the man whom most people associated with the club would like to see as captain. He too played his part on that historic night against Borussia Dortmund at Anfield when he scored the equalizer which brought back Liverpool into the game before they went on to win it.
However, the pending UEFA hearing means Sakho’s fate as a Liverpool player hangs in the balance. If UEFA finds him guilty, then the ban could possibly even mean the end of his Liverpool career. While, if the UEFA investigation to determine whether the fat-burning substance taken by Sakho should be on the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) list in the first place, returns a favourable verdict, then Sakho will still be in contention Even if he misses out on the captain’s armband, he still could become the vice-captain.
1. Emre Can
After a mixed first season at Liverpool where he spent most of his time as a part of a back 3 and at right back, Emre Can finally started showing his potential under the tutelage of Jürgen Klopp arrived and now looks like the best bet to don the captain’s armband for the upcoming season. With Klopp playing him in his preferred controlling role in central midfield, Can became one of the first players to shine under the new manager with outstanding displays of power, strength and creativity.
One of the first names on the team sheet, the big German displayed his immense mental fortitude by staging a remarkable recovery from injury to play in the 2nd leg of the Europa League semi-final against Villarreal after being ruled out for the season following the conclusion of the previous round. He is a player who grew from strength to strength in the now concluded season and his passion for the club and the game is clearly evident in the way he celebrates with the rest of the team after every goal and victory.
Being 22 years of age, Can has time on his side to iron out the kinks in his game and realize his immense potential. Although age might be a factor against him being named captain, the aforementioned reasons, the maturity in his game, a German manager and the pending verdict of Sakho’s doping offence could very well result in him being chosen as captain to lead the Reds into the new era.
