Ahead of the big Wembley showdown on Sunday, Henry Winter, chief football writer at The Times, tells us why the future is bright at Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp and praises the growing influence of captain Jordan Henderson.

Silverware for Klopp in his first season at Liverpool would provide glittering confirmation of what everyone already knows: the team are in good hands. As they head to Wembley for the Capital One Cup final, Liverpool are led by a charismatic coach who makes good players better.

I was at Wembley in 2013 when Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund scared the life out of Bayern Munich for an hour in the Champions League final. Bayern’s superior technical quality eventually told but the work-rate of the Dortmund players, their hunger to fulfil their beloved manager’s game-plan, was clear for all to see. They grieved when he left Dortmund. Klopp’s more than a manager; he’s a mentor, a friend, a motivator, a leader who takes them on a journey, and gives them a chance of glory.

Whenever he speaks in public, Klopp’s demeanour and words are uplifting. There is always a sense of great expectation when he enters a press conference and a buzz long after he has left the room. Players talk enthusiastically about his huge impact on them, how he stirs them to run harder, press more and play even better. He understands players are flesh and blood, not robots. They need warmth as well as tactical direction. Klopp guides and galvanises.

Like the best managers, the German is a mixture of fire and ice, emotion and intelligence. People focus on the verbal pyrotechnics, folksy sayings and jack-in-the-box dugout antics but he approaches games with a sharp, analytical eye. When he talks after games, he invariably speaks sense. He was right to argue that too much football is played in England.

This is a coach who needs time on the training ground to ingrain his ideas in players. Such time is difficult to find in the train-travel-play-repeat cycle of teams contesting on up to four fronts. Liverpool will be even more of a force when Klopp has had a pre-season with his players, and when he has brought in more players who suit his high-energy style.

As he heads back to Wembley, Klopp can also call upon a captain coming of age. After Liverpool played at Old Trafford earlier in the season, I remember watching Henderson walking from the dressing-room area, up the tunnel and outside towards the coach which had pulled up close to the tunnel entrance. He was doubtless frustrated that he hadn’t played because of injury, and even more annoyed by the team losing. As he made the 30-yard journey to the coach, Henderson received abuse from the Manchester United fans still lingering but he did not flinch, did not react. His face remained impassive, impervious. He was supremely professional. He makes a good captain.

Henderson was always going to mature into a leader. He has that inner resilience. He could have gone on loan to Fulham when Brendan Rodgers arrived but stayed, worked hard, fought for his place and made himself indispensable. He has that dedication. He watched how hard Luis Suarez worked in training and appreciated even more that there are no shortcuts to the top. Only persistence and professionalism count. Those hours in the gym and meetings listening intently to coaches are vital. What is also more evident, and praised, is his technique. Henderson can play good, accurate passes under pressure, including that little around-the-corner ball in tight spaces around the box.

Being an English central midfielder at Liverpool, Henderson was always going to be compared with a certain Huyton-born No.8. Steven Gerrard is one of the modern greats, a player with a will to win and sense of adventure capable of overturning odds, and Henderson has some way to go before coming anywhere close to Gerrard. But he has undoubtedly emerged from Gerrard’s huge shadow to be a force on the field and a fine ambassador for the club off it.

In an era where the game does not produce as many leaders as before, Henderson’s hunger for victory, delivering every ounce of sweat in every game, is inspiring. He’s a very honest interviewee, always hard on himself, demanding so much of himself, and eternally positive about the team. With the exhortations of Henderson and Klopp ringing in their ears, the adrenalin will be pumping through Liverpool at Wembley.