Use your head like Sadio and subscribe to the Liverpool FC newsletter Sign me up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Jordan Henderson reaches forward to touch the wooden desk in front of him at Melwood.

“Don’t say that! You can’t be bringing that up,” joked the Liverpool captain when the conversation turned to his impressive Merseyside derby record.

He’s unbeaten in the nine battles he has fought with Everton over the past five years but wasn’t about to tempt fate ahead of Monday night’s showdown at Goodison.

“It’s always a huge game,” he told the ECHO.

“I don’t really need reminding about the importance of this fixture. I’ve played in enough of them to know how big it is for the city.

“I feel as though we’re going into it in a good place. Everton are a very good side but we’re confident.

“In derby games I’ve learned that anything can happen. Form doesn’t really matter, it’s just about what happens on the day.

“We just need to keep doing what we’ve been doing and not get carried away by the occasion.

“Focus on doing our job, putting in a performance and coming back with three points.”

Happy and relaxed, Henderson’s Liverpool career is well and truly back on track after the injuries which wrecked last season for him.

The 26-year-old missed the Reds’ previous trip to Goodison due to a broken bone in his foot and also sat out April’s 4-0 rout of the Blues at Anfield after damaging knee ligaments.

But on Monday night he will be right in the thick of it. Henderson has put his stamp on the captaincy this term and has adjusted expertly to the holding midfield role Jurgen Klopp asked him to fill.

Others may have dominated the headlines but he’s a key component in an exciting side which has emerged as genuine title contenders.

“You want to be out there, you don’t want to be watching,” Henderson said.

“But I tend not to focus on my new position or how I am playing. I just try to do my job and help others around me.

“For me it’s about how well we are playing as a team and seeing the improvement since the manager came in.

“Having been on the sidelines quite a bit when he first came in, to watch it and now this season come in and really be a part of it, the fact we keep getting better and better as a team is satisfying.”

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

After the frustration of recent setbacks against Bournemouth and West Ham, Liverpool returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion at Middlesbrough.

It was the most fluent attacking display Klopp’s men have produced since they lost Philippe Coutinho to injury last month.

Victory ensured they will head to Goodison on a high.

“It was important just to get back on track in terms of results,” Henderson said.

“I think we’ve felt that in terms of performances we weren’t too far away from where we wanted to be. Even against Bournemouth and West Ham, I still felt there were a lot of good things from us.

“We just needed to tweak a few things and I felt that we did that at Middlesbrough. The second half especially was very dominant and we deserved to win comfortably.

“I feel as though we’ve been playing well even when we haven’t won. There were just moments in those games when we didn’t deal with certain situations well enough and we got punished.

“It’s how you react to setbacks and I thought we reacted really well.

“Philippe would be a big miss to any side because he’s a fantastic player, but we have enough depth in the squad to cope.

“The players who have come in are very talented and are big players for this football club.”

Henderson sat down with his team-mates at their hotel in the North East to watch Everton face Arsenal last Tuesday night.

He was impressed by the Blues’ spirited fightback as Ronald Koeman’s side secured a first league win since October.

“It was a good game. Arsenal started well but Everton came back into it and upped the intensity,” he said.

“You could feel that once they got one goal the crowd went with them and helped them.

“It will be a great atmosphere at Goodison – it always is to be fair. It will be tough, it will be intense, but that’s what we love.

“As players you want to play in big games. It will be high intensity but then our football is high intensity.”

For the likes of Sadio Mane and Gini Wijnaldum, a Merseyside derby will be a new experience but Henderson is confident they can handle it.

The Reds skipper will demand a show of controlled aggression against the Blues.

“It’s a derby so it will be physical. You have to win your battles,” he said.

“A lot of us know what to expect. The new lads have all played in big games and derbies before so they’ll be fine.

“You can’t get too emotional and risk getting sent off. It’s about playing with passion but with discipline as well.

“Yes, it’s Everton and it’s a derby. But every week is big in the Premier League. We need to look at it as just another chance to get three points.

“Throughout my time at Liverpool the expectation has always been to win.

That hasn’t changed. This is a huge football club. There’s a lot of expectation here.

“As a team we put pressure on ourselves to perform and to win every week, no matter who we are facing.”

What would a derby triumph at Goodison do for Klopp’s resurgent side heading into the hectic festive schedule?

“Let’s just say it would certainly make my Christmas dinner go down a bit better,” Henderson added.

“It’s a big game for both clubs but we are ready. We will come off that pitch having given everything.”