Hendo: Cup win can kick-start glorious Klopp era
Jordan Henderson used understatement to good effect when asked what securing a trophy just five months into Jürgen Klopp's reign as Liverpool manager would mean, exclaiming: "It wouldn't be a bad start for him, would it!"
But, as they say, many a true word is spoken in jest, and the club captain knows just how important picking up silverware at Wembley on Sunday could be to a young side hoping to meet their charismatic boss' high standards.
Victory over Manchester City in the Capital One Cup final would resonate far beyond the raucous scenes at full-time at the national stadium, and the celebrations among Reds in the immediate aftermath, according to Henderson.
"[Klopp] has only been here a few months so it would be a good platform for him to build on, I think," he told Liverpoolfc.com.
"He definitely is a winner. We've seen that in not only his past clubs but since he's come to Liverpool - he's a winner.
"I think if we can win on Sunday and lift the trophy then that will be a great platform for him to start a new reign if you like, a new team to go on and win many trophies in the future.
"We've got a lot of potential in the group and we've got a lot of talented players, a lot of young players as well, who have a lot of personality and I feel with the experiences we have had and the longer we play together the better we will get, and I'm hoping the more trophies we will win.
"It would be nice to start that on Sunday and I think it would give everybody a taste of what it feels like to win a big trophy, and then hopefully we can kick on from there."
As a pair of committed leaders who give their all for the cause at every opportunity, it is perhaps no surprise that skipper and boss have struck up a strong working relationship since the latter's arrival in October.
And Henderson is hoping the players can put in a performance that mirrors the best qualities of a manager whom he praises highly when they take to the field on Sunday.
"I've mentioned before that he is very passionate, very emotional and he just wants everything from the players," he added.
"I think that transcends to us really and you can see that in performances.
"I'm hoping we will definitely see that on Sunday and we'll put in a performance I know we are capable of."
Liverpool are not only looking to claim Klopp's first trophy with the club on Sunday but also to end a wait for silverware that stretches back to the 2012 League Cup success under Kenny Dalglish.
Henderson, then in his first season at Anfield, was part of the team that defeated Cardiff City at Wembley to clinch the honour and so has first-hand experience of that frustrating interval.
"In my first season when I came to Liverpool, we went to two cup finals and I was thinking that was going to be the norm really and every season would see a cup final," he admitted.
"That's why I have to come to Liverpool, a massive club - to play in cup finals, to play in Europe.
"In my first season we managed to win one trophy and obviously lost the other one, but it was a very good experience.
"But since then there hasn't really been a cup final or a moment where we have won a trophy, which is very disappointing with the players that we have had, the squad we have had and what we were so close to.
"It was difficult to take the fact that we didn't end up winning anything and we need to make sure those experiences weren't wasted and we can take them into days like Sunday and use all the experiences that we have had and hopefully you just wait for that day when you do win one."
But it is the prospect of giving something back to the fans who have stuck by Liverpool - rather than a desire to end his own trophy drought - that most motivates the No.14.
"They obviously will be frustrated that the last time we won a trophy was so long ago," he said.
"They'll be frustrated but they've always been there supporting us from that time until now.
"It would be nice not only for the team and the football club but for the fans as well, to give something back to them for what they have done for us and for what they continue to do for us every week.
"That would be the icing on the cake really."
Of course, achieving all this against a City side whose threat is well-documented will be no easy task.
But, while Henderson can make no promises regarding the result, he has moved to assure fans that the team in red won't leave the Wembley pitch with anything left to give, or having come out second best when it comes to effort.
"Work harder, run harder, win the battle and then I think our quality will then come through," he insisted.
"In a cup final it's just giving your all and make sure you leave everything on the pitch as individuals and as a team.
"And I think if you do that, whatever outcome you have given it your best shot and that's all you can ask for."