The Premier League season could be over.
It has been suspended until April 3rd at the earliest and there are subsequently a number of questions hanging in the air, most of which revolve around Liverpool’s quest to win their first title in over 30 years.
Will the season be completed? Will Liverpool have the chance to win the title in the usual manner? Will the title merely be awarded to the Reds? Will the season be declared null and void, breaking Reds’ hearts at the last possible moment?
The fact is, at this point, nobody knows the answers. But it is worth examining exactly who would win the club’s Player of the Season prize should the campaign end as it currently is, with Jurgen Klopp’s men 25 points clear of second-placed Manchester City with nine games of the season remaining.
The nominees are surely as follows: Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Alisson Becker, and Jordan Henderson.
And there can only be one winner.
While Salah and Mane have been electric this season – scoring 38 goals between them – neither of them have the influence required to win. Were one of them to miss a game, the likelihood is the other would step up. Roberto Firmino, too, can often carry the load.
At the back, both van Dijk and Alisson have been superb. The former has perhaps emerged as one of the best defenders in world football since his move to Anfield, while Alisson has conceded just 11 goals in the Premier League. But it must be said that one would not be as good without the other. The goalkeeper would surely have far more saves to make were it not van Dijk in front of him, while the Dutchman’s numbers wouldn’t look quite as world-class if it was Adrian behind him.
That’s why the answer has to be Henderson.
No clues: Can you name the season these iconic Liverpool images belong to?
The Reds captain is something of a success story. Damien Comolli, formerly responsible for identifying talent and bringing it into the club, says he was sacked for signing Henderson from Sunderland for a £20m fee.
Now look at him. He skippered the Reds to Champions League glory last season and is within touching distance of doing the same in the Premier League this term.
At the age of 29, he is peaking, and it should be no surprise that performances tailed off after he sustained a hamstring injury: He wasn’t on the pitch for the 3-0 defeat to Watford.
His numbers are exceptional too. Per WhoScored, he averages 2.2 tackles per game in the Premier League, 1 interception, 1 key pass, and a pass completion rate of 84.5%.
He mucks in at both ends of the pitch – he has five assists to his name this season along with three goals – and is exactly the type of player a club like Liverpool need in the centre of the pitch.
When partnered with the likes of Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum, Henderson is often the driving force in making a rather functional midfield look impassable for opposition players.
He makes those around him better: Jordan Henderson is Liverpool’s Player of the Season.
Meanwhile, Liverpool fans have reacted to a huge possible exit!