Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson have a major part to play in deciding Liverpool's position this season

Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson were two players heavily criticised by both fans and manager but recently they have won over the majority of their doubters with their efforts over the past couple of months.

This article is a tactical insight into how important they are to the way Liverpool play under Brendan Rodgers.

Firstly, Stewart Downing.

Stewart Downing playing at RW gives us a good balance and increases our threat down the right with Glen Johnson, who in my opinion is the best attacking right back in the league.

The West Ham game at Upton Park was where this stuck out most and I did an article on the game on www.thekop.com. Liverpool dominated the early stages and it allowed Glen Johnson to get forward and score a screamer. He regularly threatened in that game and only when Downing got shifted to left back was his threat nullified, the flank was then company to Joe Cole, a right footed player. It has been similar when Raheem Sterling or Fabio Borini have played on the right wing this season.

As the diagram below shows, when Stewart Downing cuts inside, it frees up masses of space for Johnson to attack and he is dangerous not only with his long range shooting ability but his creativity and passing range.

All that space is taken by the right footed players in the Liverpool squad such as Sterling and Borini and therefore Johnson is effectively out of the game and he is forced to give possession to a team mate.

Maybe not Stewart Downing but a player of a similar style in terms of cutting inside, whether that is Daniel Sturridge or someone like Tom Ince, the team carries a greater threat when Johnson is bombing forward.

A similar play occured in the 2nd leg of the Europa League fixture vs FC Gomel. In the final stages, Johnson rifled home a left footed volley having had the time and space to run and attack just outside the area. The graphic below shows both Johnson's long range goals this season.

Now Jordan Henderson's impact. He hasn't been criticised by the fans as much as they see his work-rate and potential. Only now has his quality shone through.

When Allen/Sahin featured for Liverpool, it seemed much like a flat midfield, nobody really pressed the ball in the opposition's defensive third giving the opposition more time to build an attack and more time on the ball.

Like we saw in the game today against Manchester City, Silva, the point of the City midfield was harrassed throughout his time on the pitch and was non-existent for the majority of the game. City were running out of options and it meant Liverpool won the ball quicker and higher up the pitch, resulting in more shots than usual and a worse pass completion rate for Manchester City (78%).