Hendo Clear Captain; Studge Cloudy With Chance of Meatballs

Jürgen Klopp is a guy who does not mince words. He hugs hard, and he smiles broadly, and we are all generally putty in his hands. So, when he goes on record talking about Jordan Henderson as an undisputed leader, it's enough to make a Reds fan heart burst.

Speaking of Henderson, the German gaffer said, "I’ve met him, he’s an absolute leader and he’s in a good way at this moment, and we all hope he’s back in a few weeks.

"I do not know what will happen in the next two weeks, it’s very important and we’re waiting for this. Hendo stays captain."

Not only does the fact that Klopp sees Henderson as a dyed in the wool captain make us want to hop with excitement, but that little nugget about his being back in a few weeks is the type of tangible addition to this team that could properly galvanize the gegenpress. Honey Badger may not care, but Honey Badger fits the ethos of this system like a hand to a glove.

In turn, some things are just too depressing to shine a light on, even when you are Jürgen Klopp.  One such thing? Daniel Sturridge and his no good, very bad injury situation:

"He is starting to train outside after four weeks, so of course he needs time to bring him back in shape or whatever.

"He can start training and then we can talk about when Sturridge can play, but it’s nearly like a summer break and he’s really training hard after this. We have to see when we can talk about him."

Par for the course, then. With Roberto Firmino rounding into form, this could be much ado about nothing in a hurry for this Liverpool team, but don't you even think about pulling up lame on us now, Benteke.

First things are first, let's beat the Eagles, lads.