Jordan: The signs are there
Jordan Henderson reflected on his first season at Liverpool and admitted the 11 months he has spent on Merseyside since signing from Sunderland last summer have been punctuated by highs and lows.
The 21-year-old is proud to have started in three Wembley outings in the space of just four months in 2012 and is delighted that the Reds were able to end a six-year wait for silverware by winning the Carling Cup in February this year.
However, the youngster also knows he and his teammates are capable of performing to higher standards in the league and insists there has been ample evidence throughout this year's campaign to indicate the team's potential to climb the table next year.
But first, a trip to the Liberty Stadium and Swansea awaits the Reds, and Henderson believes the team will look to build on Tuesday night's win against Chelsea and end the season on a high.
"Overall, it's been an up and down season," Henderson told the LFC Official Weekly Magazine. "But I think we have achieved great things as a team in winning the Carling Cup and getting to the final of the FA Cup.
"They are two big achievements and winning the Carling Cup was a great achievement for the club because it meant we got back to winning trophies. But we know our league form will need to improve for next year.
"We are well aware of that and I'm sure that we'll work on that and we'll get better at it. I think there are positive signs there that we can do that. We have hit the post and the bar a lot of times this season so we need to be more clinical in front of goal and a bit more streetwise as well.
"We have to concentrate on the last bit of the season and making sure we finish as strongly as possible. We've got a lot to learn but if we can do that and rectify the mistakes we've made this season then we can definitely be better equipped to improve next year.
"I've played in a lot of different positions throughout the course of this season but I don't think that's an excuse."
Henderson was in good form on Tuesday night when he capped a strong central midfield performance by seizing onto a John Terry slip and slotting past Ross Turnbull to net his 2nd Liverpool goal on the final Anfield fixture of the season.
And his efforts were rewarded by a section of the Reds following when he was voted young player of the season and awarded a Golden Samba by members of the online fans' forum Red All Over the Land.
Henderson's appearance on Tuesday night was his 36thinvolvement in 37 Premier League games this year and the youngster, who played 71 games for Sunderland before making the switch to Anfield, is delighted to have featured so prominently during his first season on Merseyside.
"That's been very pleasing," said Henderson. "Obviously I want to play in every game that I'm fit and available for, so yes, I've enjoyed playing on a regular basis and hopefully I can carry on doing that.
"That gelling process doesn't just happen overnight but I think good players should be able to play with each other pretty quickly. It depends which way you look at it but, of course, it takes time for everyone to gel.