Having enjoyed quietly assured starts to the season, James Dutton and Hugo Greenhalgh assess the rising fortunes of Jordan Henderson and Aaron Ramsey – the undroppable footsoldiers of the revolution…

After a low-key opening three weeks to the 2013-4 Premier League season, 58 goals scored at a rate of less than two per game is a significant departure from the norm. And yet the focus of this season’s infancy has not been shone towards rejuvenated swashbuckling defences, but to the goal scorers making the difference at the ‘business end’ of the pitch.

Daniel Sturridge and Olivier Giroud have attracted headlines for possessing predatory instincts that have fired Liverpool and Arsenal towards the top of the table, and currently the pair share the golden boot berth with Christian Benteke.

Scratch underneath the surface, however, and you will find an unlikely duo who are no less vital to their respective sides, who provide the elbow grease and unstinting work ethic without which the teams would self-implode. The beginning of this new league season has witnessed the continued renaissance of Jordan Henderson and Aaron Ramsey, and confirmed their centrality to how Liverpool and Arsenal perform. Continue reading →