When a 36-year-old Jordan Henderson followed a 35-year-old Danny Welbeck through the door at Stamford Bridge in early August, it seemed Chelsea had overcorrected from their chaos of youth. The ageing pair had impressed for two thirds of the Premier League’s so-called “Bermuda Triangle” - Brentford and Brighton respectively - but there was hardly the impression they were signed as starters, more dressing room figures.
Barring a 71-minute cameo in the damning 3-0 loss at the Bees, Welbeck’s starts have been limited to the Carabao Cup. Henderson, on the other hand, finds himself towards the pinnacle of the pecking order in the Premier League, the priority competition, forming an unlikely partnership with the indispensable Moises Caicedo in the centre of midfield. Ahead of young guns Romeo Lavia and Valentin Barco, he has started and played the entirety of their last three outings and going into this Saturday’s derby clash with Tottenham, Xabi Alonso has no reason to drop him.
Alonso feels the drop-off from prime Henderson, the Liverpool captain that lifted the Premier League and Champions League, to now is miniscule. It’s why he disregards his age as just number. “He's 36, but he's in a very good shape physically,” the Spaniard says. “He has a lot of energy, but that hasn't changed. I see he's 36, but you tell me he's 28 when he was playing in Liverpool, and he was pressing and following the press and wanting the ball and having this impact, having this influence in the rest of the team. [That] hasn't changed that much.
“He did that in Brentford, and that's why we thought that he could work in that position with the team that we had. Now he's feeling well, he's feeling important, and he's having a very positive influence. That's what we wanted, that’s [what] we are getting that from Jordan, and he's enjoying his game.”
Henderson’s famed engine is no myth. In Chelsea’s last two games, the Englishman has covered more ground that any other player- 11.9km against Bournemouth and 12km against Everton - despite being the oldest on the pitch on both occasions.
Yet he’s not just running. Against the Cherries, he bagged an excellent brace - including the first direct free-kick goal of his career - as well as an assist.
Attacking output is appreciated even if it’s not what’s keeping Henderson in the team. “He's playing well, not for the goals he has, but for the impact that he's having in the team,” Alonso added.
Part of this impact relates to Henderson’s role in maturing what was an ill-disciplined and over-emotional squad when the Spaniard arrived. Alonso said he was aware of Chelsea’s horrific disciplinary record last season; they received eight red cards, four more than the next highest team in the Premier League, while also ranking second for yellow cards with 90 cautions to their name. “We could do better,” Alonso declared.
This term, there has been a noticeable change. Chelsea are committing fewer fouls per 90 and receiving fewer yellow cards. No players have been sent off.
Henderson’s presence is credited with contributing to this shift. “Absolutely, I think it helps,” said Alonso. “It helps for that experience and that composure that you need in certain moments. You have players that sometimes, even during the game, they take a step back to see, this is happening and now we need to keep focused and calm.”
Managing emotions will be imperative for Saturday’s visit of rivals Spurs. His first home London derby after being on hostile territory against Fulham and Arsenal, Alonso is expecting an “electric” atmosphere. His side’s newfound discipline will now be put to the test in their own cauldron.
“For me it comes a lot with emotional control, with the control of the game,” Alonso explained. “I think that if you are focused on what you have to do, you are prepared for what's going on. Normally you don't make that many mistakes and you don't overreact to certain situations. For me this is a fundamental part of the game, to have that emotional control, to deal with all this. The momentum is coming, [but] we keep calm, I don't lose my head and I don't get stupid yellow cards, make stupid penalties. You need to prepare for football to have better control of that.”
Henderson will be entrusted to keep his head more than anyone, though Alonso’s new-age Chelsea are without another elder statesman signed in the summer. Emi Martinez’s sickening head injury suffered against Everton will leave him sidelined for a “few weeks” after undergoing surgery. It means highly-rated understudy Mike Penders, 21, is set for an extended run in the team.
“If you know Mike, he's very calm, very mature for his age,” Alonso asserted, confident he can handle the pressure. The last young Belgian to stand in between the sticks for Chelsea was one Thibaut Courtois. His first Stamford Bridge appearance also came at the age of 21, albeit while on loan at Atletico Madrid. That night he played a part in denying the Blues a place in the 2014 Champions League final, maybe the most high-pressured Chelsea arrival possible.
Alonso spoke to Courtois at the World Cup explicitly to get his assessment of Penders. “He even said that he could see resemblances with Mike [and himself],” Alonso recalled. That’s a good sign.