Jordan Henderson believes it is difficult to attribute any one single reason for Liverpool's sluggish start to the 2022-23 season, suggesting there is still plenty of time for them to turn their fortunes around between now and the business end of the season.
Liverpool are currently sat ninth in the Premier League with ten points after seven games, while in the Champions League Napoli hammered them 4-1 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at the beginning of September.
Speaking at a McDonald's Fun Football session, an initiate which provides free football access to 30,000 children aged five to 11 across England, and of which Henderson is an ambassador, the Liverpool captain explained why Liverpool haven't started the season as strongly as they would have hoped.
However, Henderson is expecting last season's double cup winners to rediscover their form which saw them narrowly miss out on securing an historic quadruple in 2021-22.
"I think there’s numerous things that have led to our start, obviously injuries haven’t helped but I don’t want to make that an excuse so it hasn’t been the start that we would have hoped for but there is still a long way to go and hopefully now after the international break we can really kickstart our season."
While Liverpool failed to take all three points at home to Brighton last weekend, drawing 3-3, they returned to winning ways in midweek in the Champions League. A Trent Alexander-Arnold free-kick and Mo Salah penalty helped dispatched Rangers 2-0, but the Reds now face a tough trip to the Emirates to take on league leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
Regardless, Liverpool's poor start to the season - by their lofty standards - doesn't detract from the almost monumental campaign they achieved last time out. Speaking about the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in May, Henderson expressed how deflated the squad felt but Jurgen Klopp helped to add some much-needed sense of perspective.
"Obviously everyone was disappointed but the gaffer said how proud he was of everyone and what we achieved that season, to get into the final of the Champions League, to win the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup and to take the Premier League to the last day of the season was a huge achievement in itself.
"Of course it was disappointing to not get the Champions League, but overall we were really proud of what we had achieved in that season."
Entering into his twelfth season at Liverpool, and his eighth as club captain, Henderson is still only 32 and isn't entertaining the idea that he is ready to hang his boots up any time soon. Indeed, he still believes he has plenty of playing time left in his career.
"I have a lot of years and fight left in me and I want to focus on my future in the game and what I can keep doing to move forward. I think it [what he will do after retirement] would be something I would only really start thinking about when I got to it."
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