Jordan: Competition pushes us
Jordan Henderson believes the competition for places at Liverpool right now is pushing him and others in the dressing room to improve.
The 22-year-old smashed a superb finish into the far corner to open the scoring against Norwich on Saturday before the Reds added a further four goals at Anfield in a comprehensive triumph.
Henderson has forced his way into Brendan Rodgers' starting XI in recent weeks despite strong competition for midfield places, passing 50 league appearances for the club in the process.
And the No.14 explained that options for the manager are helpful to both him and the squad at his disposal.
Henderson told Liverpoolfc.com: "We've got a lot of good players in the team so I think it's a headache every week for him, but that's a good thing.
"It makes everyone push on in training and improves them.
"That's definitely a good thing and if we can keep playing like that, we'll be alright."
The 5-0 win against the Canaries was the Reds' third consecutive comfortable victory at home and moved Rodgers' side into seventh in the Barclays Premier League.
Henderson considers a Champions League berth to be within reach for his teammates if they can maintain a similar level of performance.
"We knew before the game that we had to bounce back from last week," he continued.
"I think we did that - it was another good performance at home, we scored some good goals and it was a good performance. I'm delighted.
"We'll keep going forward, playing the way we have, and hopefully we can get a good finish towards the end of the season."
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New signing Daniel Sturridge and top scorer Luis Suarez were both on the scoresheet against Norwich, and the duo combined effectively with Stewart Downing in a front three.
Henderson revealed how the trio's movement provided different avenues for those behind them.
"There's a lot of movement," he said. "They're world-class players and always available to give the ball to, so that just makes it easier for the midfielders."
Henderson knows Sturridge well from international duty and insisted that the striker's immediate impact at Anfield - three goals in three matches - is no surprise.
"He's a really talented player - he's scored a few goals of late and played really well," said the midfielder.
"He's a big plus for us. We've just got to keep going, working hard and looking forward."