Making the grade

As Liverpool unveiled a host of signings in the summer of 2011 there were high hopes that the club could mount a challenge to get back in the Champions League and rub shoulders with Europe's elite once more.

Being paired with Lucas in central midfield had enabled Adam to do similarly but without him the playmaker was required to do more defensively. His lack of mobility was an issue and whereas at Blackpool he had been the star man with the team built around him, at Liverpool he simply wasn't good enough to be worthy of such treatment. By the time he ballooned his penalty high over the bar in the League Cup final shoot-out against Cardiff many Kopites felt they had seen enough to declare that Adam wasn't going to cut it on Merseyside. Liverpool's league form had nose-dived and Adam was one of the players singled out for criticism, Henderson was another but as the season drew to a close the then England under 21's captain began to show glimpses of the promise that had persuaded the Reds to pay between £14m and £20m (depending on which report you believe) on him. A goalscoring performance against Chelsea at Anfield, playing in his favoured central midfield role, was arguably the highlight for Henderson but as the season ended and Dalglish departed his future, as with Adam, was very much up in the air. Brendan Rodgers arrived and many Liverpool fans saw this as the end for Adam at Anfield. The midfielder didn't appear to fit in with the style of play the new manager preferred. So it proved and after one disappointing season he was off, Tony Pulis taking him to Stoke in a £5m deal on transfer deadline day. Since then it has been steady rather than spectacular for Adam at the Britannia Stadium. His undoubted attacking talents have seen him often deployed in a more advanced role during his time in the Potteries and four goals so far this season suggests it has worked reasonably well. He may not have been hitting the headlines in the way he did during his Bloomfield Road heyday but the Scot seems settled at Stoke in a less pressurised environment. With Mark Hughes now at the helm, Adam looks to have put his Merseyside misery behind him to become an important player for his current side. Henderson too is now a key player having remained at Liverpool and made significant strides towards fulfilling his potential in the past 12 months. Unlike Adam, the arrival of Rodgers was seen as a good thing for Henderson. The midfielder was seen to be just the sort of player the Ulsterman would appreciate - hard-working, energetic and good technically. However, he too was very nearly out of the door at Liverpool having been touted as a possible makeweight in a deal to bring Clint Dempsey from Fulham to the North West. Henderson though rejected the move and stated his intention to prove himself at Anfield. Initially it seemed to have backfired. Even with Adam gone, the youngster found first team opportunities hard to come by following the arrivals of Joe Allen and Nuri Sahin. Henderson also found himself behind Jonjo Shelvey in the pecking order and with Steven Gerrard and Lucas to consider too, things looked bleak. He remained patient and as it was Henderson's hard work paid off. After forcing his way back into the team for the second half of last season, he has been a revelation so far in 2013-14 much to the delight of his manager. "At 23 years of age, he has got his whole career in front of him," said Rodgers. "It is thanks to his quality and professionalism that he is making marked improvements." He has started every league game this campaign and after a good start to the season stepped up his game once more in recent weeks in Gerrard's absence. From being derided as a waste of money less than two years ago, Henderson is fast becoming a player Liverpool would loathe to be without. This weekend Henderson and Adam come face to face again as Liverpool travel to Stoke in a Super Sunday clash. Both men look set to play a big part for their respective sides and will have points to prove. Adam will be determined to show Rodgers and Liverpool that they were wrong to let him go while Henderson must show that he is capable of maintaining his recent form and not defer responsibility to Gerrard now that the captain is back in the side. Having arrived at Liverpool to the same fanfare in 2011 their careers at the club took different paths and while Henderson's star looks to be the one on the rise, Stoke's home record versus Liverpool in recent seasons suggests Adam may yet have the last laugh.