Originally Posted by
Balinkay
No, it isn't. He tries to do it from time to time (to some success) but it's not his job. He's an enabler, not a flair player. If Alisson were our captain, you'd not be asking for him to do what I described. Hendo manages to win us the midfield battle, but he's not supposed to win the game on his own. Neither was Stevie in some of the positions and formations he played, but he did it anyway. Because he's Steven Fucking Gerrard.
The last bit irks me - 19x isn't comparing them in terms of footballing quality, but rather in terms of leadership. Whether you agree with him or not, there's at least a debate to be had there. Disclaimer, I'm probably the biggest Hendo simp on here after 19x. Called him eventually being captain in 2012-ish (I think).
If it's not his job to rally his players when things are going wrong, then whose job is it ? He's the captain, supposed leader, they are the ones the less experienced players should be looking to. There's more to a captain than wearing an armband and choosing heads or tails before kick off. The real leader of that team is Van Dijk, it's no coincidence that Matip and Lovren's form improved when he came in. It's a pity he's only 3rd in line for the captaincy behind Henderson and Milner because one or the other usually start.
If you're not sure what to do with the ball, just put it in the net, and we'll talk about the other options later... Bob Paisley.
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