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Jordan Henderson: Numbers That Made Liverpool Captain Footballer Of The Year

After Jordan Henderson was named the FWA's Footballer of the Year, we looked at his brilliant season in Opta numbers

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Jordan Henderson: Numbers That Made Liverpool Captain Footballer Of The Year
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Jordan Henderson has capped a brilliant season by collecting the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award. (More Football News)

The England midfielder led a rampant Liverpool to the Premier League title, their first in the top flight for 30 years.

Henderson's individual contributions - including four goals in 30 games - earned recognition ahead of a host of team-mates.

Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne also fell short of the award despite an outstanding campaign.

We take a look at where Henderson secured his latest piece of silverware, with the help of Opta data.


INCREASED ATTACKING INFLUENCE

Henderson may never be a creative force like De Bruyne in the middle of the pitch, but he had a greater hand in Liverpool's attacking play this term.

With Fabinho often occupying the deeper role that limited Henderson in seasons past, the 30-year-old has mustered four goals and five assists.

Not since the 2014-15 campaign, when he scored six times and set up another nine, has Henderson been involved in as many goals.

The former Sunderland man has created 27 chances in total this term, as well as contributing a pair of secondary assists, aiding Liverpool's prolific front line.

REDS RELIANT ON THEIR SKIPPER

Henderson has been out injured since July 8, in which time Liverpool have won just one of their three matches.

That drop-off when without their captain bears out across the entire campaign, too, with the Reds a much better side when Henderson is involved.

Liverpool have won 90 per cent of their 2019-20 league games in which the skipper has appeared (27 of 30), compared to just 57 per cent when he has not (four of seven).

In fact, the champions have remarkably dropped more points in the seven games Henderson has missed (eight) than in the 30 he has played (seven). He will be absent again at Newcastle United on Sunday.

KDB SUFFERING FOR CITY SLUMP?

Henderson has been magnificent, but De Bruyne might well feel hard done by, having put together one of the finest individual seasons of recent years in the Premier League.

Since 2003-04, only Eden Hazard in 2014-15 (98) has created more chances in a single campaign than De Bruyne, who is on 97 and could yet surpass his compatriot.

De Bruyne has 19 assists this term, only one shy of Thierry Henry's single-season record from 2002-03, while Frank Lampard - 36 in 2009-10 - was the last central midfielder to have a hand in 30 or more goals in a campaign.

Yet Henderson has been able to contribute to team success, ending Liverpool's long drought in a campaign where City - De Bruyne aside - have too often been off the pace.

Henderson Wins FWA Footballer Of The Year Award