Speaking to Off The Ball, Mark Lawrenson has been discussing the team he would pick if he was in charge of Liverpool for the Champions League final.
The Reds are set to face Real Madrid in Paris at the end of the month, and Lawrenson says there’s one change he would definitely make for the big match.
Indeed, the pundit says that he would bring Jordan Henderson in for Naby Keita due to the fact the Guinean simply can’t seem to be consistent.
What’s been said?
Lawrenson said that he would start Henderson against Madrid.
“Henderson would play for me. Keita just cannot be consistent and that’s a problem for me, sometimes the game passes him by. Henderson, he’s good with Trent because he sits in when Trent goes past him,” Lawrenson said.
Captain
Aside from ability with a football, the fact that Henderson is Liverpool’s captain means that he simply has to start in Paris.
These big games can often come down to simply who can hold their nerve on the big stage, and Henderson is a player who can lead his teammates through anything.
Of course, most of the Liverpool players have been there and done it before, but for the few that haven’t, having Henderson on the pitch will help massively.
The Liverpool skipper is one of the great leaders in football, and it’s hard to imagine the Reds buckling under any sort of pressure when he’s on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Keita, as Lawrenson says, can blow hot and cold, and when you’re coming up against a midfield of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro, you can’t afford to have a player like that in your side.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
