Jurgen Klopp decided to rotate a number of his regular starters for Liverpool's clash with Norwich City over the course of the weekend.
With the Reds navigating a hectic schedule, the German coach presented a number of his key players with a valuable rest, including the likes of Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fabinho.
The latter in particular was replaced by Jordan Henderson as the team's holding midfielder and yet again, the skipper performed well in the role, even registering an assist on the 81st minute.
Henderson was responsible for Luis Diaz opening his scoring account at Anfield since moving from FC Porto. His incisive pass from deep found the Colombian in the penalty box, who proceeded to finish the move with a subtle chip over Angus Gunn.
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Throughout the contest, the English midfielder offered an authoritative presence in the middle of the park, keeping things simple and allowing his teammates to shine as he focused on keeping the ball while preventing opposition counter-attacks.
Days earlier, Henderson was introduced on the hour mark of Liverpool's Champions League tie against Inter Milan.
He replaced Fabinho and - alongside Diaz and Naby Keita - seemed to change to course of the match for Klopp.
The Reds scored two goals after he entered the fray and gained more of a foothold on the game. His contributions over the past week against Norwich and Inter have been impressive, and they have stemmed from his role as a no.6 rather than a no.8.
Liverpool's no.8 role seems to have been tweaked this season. Players occupying the midfield spot have been encouraged to provide more of a threat in the final third by forming triangles with Mohamed Salah and Alexander-Arnold.
Speaking to The Athletic recently, Alexander-Arnold said: "It is about making sure, at all times, there should be someone occupying the width, someone high up on the last line and someone in a half-space or in a midfield eight."
As a result of the new-found ploy, supporters will have noticed the central midfield areas that Alexander-Arnold has roamed into this season.
He's positioned himself in the middle of the park more often than ever before.
“I might say, ‘Stay inside and drag their full-back in as much as you can and leave the space on the outside for me,' or he might be wider and I’m inside," he said when talking about his bond with Salah.
The alteration has been subtle, but it has quietly made the no.8 role more demanding in a technical and offensive sense, which is perhaps one of the reasons why Henderson has experienced a relatively streaky campaign by his own standards.
Given the evolution of Liverpool's right side alongside Henderson's skill set, much of his future could be spent as an alternative option for Fabinho as the team's holding midfielder.
This would allow the likes of Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones to stake their claims further forward.
Now 31-years-old, Henderson's minutes on the field are naturally likely to decrease with time.
But as a means of getting him on the pitch while ensuring that he's able to positively contribute at all times, a deeper midfield role could be the answer.
