Programme notes'You never get bored of that first home game feeling'
Jordan Henderson is expecting a 'real sense of occasion' when Liverpool play their first competitive home game of 2022-23 on Monday night.
The Reds host Crystal Palace at Anfield aiming to clinch a maiden victory in the new Premier League season after the 2-2 away draw with Fulham last weekend.
Henderson reiterated the need, and the possibility, for Liverpool to improve on that showing on the opening day and wants the team to feed off the energy surrounding the first home outing of a campaign.
Read the captain’s pre-match programme notes in full below.
“The first home game of a new season is always one of the fixtures that anyone who is lucky enough to be involved in football just can’t wait for. It was the same when I was a kid, going to matches with my dad, and it applies even more now that I have the privilege of playing for Liverpool,” writes Henderson.
“It might happen every year, but you could never get bored of this feeling.
“There is always a different atmosphere in and around the ground. You can feel the excitement and there is a real sense of occasion. I have been here long enough to know exactly what Anfield will be like and the fact that we kick off with a night game only adds to the anticipation.
“These are the days we all live for as players, staff and supporters so hopefully between us we can make the most of it by getting off to the best possible start.
“Our Premier League campaign didn’t start the way we’d hoped it would with last weekend’s draw at Fulham, but regardless of the outcome the season-opener was always going to be a game to take lessons from.
“Elements of our performance were OK, especially as the game wore on, and we could have won it in the end, but there are other areas that require either fine-tuning or outright improvement.
“Part of this is actually the way it should be in the first couple of weeks in August – at this stage, it’s all about striving for peak fitness, searching for rhythm and looking to find cohesion as a team.
“I know the break we had over the summer was only short – probably too short in some ways – but it stands to reason that this is a period in which we are building towards something rather than looking like the finished article. But we have to do better as individuals and as a team. We all know that.
“The good thing is that the work which took place during pre-season, and which continues to take place on a daily basis on the training ground, is of a really high standard in terms of both commitment and quality.
“I know the gaffer has spoken at length about the team spirit and how good that has been and I would agree with every word. Credit to the new lads who have come in and settled into the group straight away but also to the players who have been here a lot longer for the way they have welcomed them and also for the positive culture they have created.
“We are going to need that spirit as well. We will definitely need it against a Crystal Palace team that impressed everyone last season under Patrick Vieira. Their development as a team was one of the stories of the season and some of their performances were really eye-catching.
“So we know we will have our work cut out. If we are going to take the three points we are going to have to earn them because there’s not a chance a team that’s managed by Vieira is going to do anything other than compete.
“I always go into the new season not wanting to dwell too much on whatever happened in the previous one – for better or worse – but there is one element that I do want to look back on and that is the treatment of our fans in Paris.
“I know there is an inquiry going on at the minute, so I don’t want to say too much at this stage, but there is a basic principle that needs to be agreed on by all involved in football and that is that football supporters should always be taken care of.
“That is absolutely non-negotiable. Safety and security shouldn’t be asked for or campaigned for, they should be a given and in Paris this was not the case. All of the players and staff had family and friends who were caught up in the problems outside the stadium so we are all well aware of what went on and what went wrong. The only conclusion that anyone can come to is that something like that can never happen again.
“I’m not just speaking for our supporters here either. Every single football fan needs to know that when they go to a match, the authorities will look after them.
“For that to happen, Paris needs to be a watershed. It has to be a moment that brings about change for the better. Nothing else is acceptable.”