Henderson: We have a good balance in the dressing room

The captain knows the Reds are a talking point at the moment after a flawless start to 2018-19, with discussion centring around their credentials in the long race to finish at the summit of the Premier League.

However, such chatter isn’t being absorbed within the Liverpool dressing room – and Henderson insists he and his teammates can handle such spotlight.

He wrote in his column for ‘This is Anfield’: “It’s a balance, being positive about the start we have made to this season, while at the same time recognising just how early it is.

“Nothing could highlight the modern obsession with the ‘immediate’ more than the questions asked to some of the lads and the gaffer before and after the Palace game. Because Man City, Spurs and Chelsea had won before we played, we were already being asked about the need to ‘send statements’. Afterwards, it was a case of: have we sent a statement? I get that’s how it is these days. But it’s mad to think before you even kick off the second league game of a new season that such a topic is already on the table.

“As players and as a team we’re cool with it and we know how to handle it. I should probably warn supporters now that you’ll be hearing a lot of clichéd answers when we’re interviewed. After all, there are only so many different ways you can say ‘we’re only focused on the next game’!

“Today’s opponents Brighton help to highlight how much focus there is these days on ‘what’s next’ rather than actually stopping and enjoying the moment, the here and now. Last season they were one of the teams of the campaign.

“To achieve what they did was brilliant and down to having a great set of players who are really well managed. It probably got lost a little bit because there were so many other big stories and achievements. Man City, Burnley, Huddersfield and ourselves all attracted a lot of comment, but Brighton were right up there for me in terms of being a contender for story of the season. Typically, no sooner had the season finished and already there were questions about being able to repeat it. Last weekend Brighton were tremendous against Manchester United yet within seconds of the full-time whistle the focus was on whether they can do it again against us today at Anfield.

“I said at the beginning it’s about balance, because as I’ve said on many occasions a healthy amount of pressure is a positive thing and something you need to embrace being a professional footballer at this level. Looking around our dressing room I can see – albeit it’s still very early doors – that we have a good balance. It’s not a case of blocking pressure out, it’s a case of seeing it for what it is and not allowing it to impact as a negative.

“We didn’t ‘send a statement’ at Crystal Palace – we did our jobs. And it wouldn’t have mattered if City, Chelsea and Spurs had won, lost or drawn – the boys had a job to do and that was to win the game.”

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