‘Endo has no clue on what we actually do,’ was Jurgen Klopp’s verdict on Wataru Endo’s full Premier League debut against Newcastle.
The surprise signing was hauled off before the hour mark and by that point, many Liverpool fans had already made their minds up on him.
30-years-old, of no real elite pedigree having signed from a Bundesliga relegation battler and physically way off the pace. It was undeniably a shoddy performance, and one which has cost Endo, given he hasn’t started a Premier League match since.
But the Japanese hasn’t sulked. Every comment he’s made in the media has been full of positivity and humility. His maturity shines through; and while the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, two more expensive, younger and flamboyant signings, are smiling and loving every minute; Endo is putting in the graft behind the scenes, waiting to earn his opportunities.
“It was amazing to play here — a great feeling, a great atmosphere, to warm up and hear the fans chanting my name. They made such a special atmosphere and I so happy to play at Anfield,” he told the Echo after his Anfield debut, which lasted just a few minutes in the victory over Bournemouth.
But it’s his comments following his recent masterclass against Toulouse that really resonate…
“𝗜 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 (𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘀) 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗳𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜’𝗺 𝟯𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀,” he told reporters after scoring in the 5-1 Anfield win.
“𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹. 𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗯. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻.
“𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 [𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆], 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲.
“𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘁. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲, 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲.”
What a brilliant attitude. And Endo truly was exceptional against the French in the Europa League. His goal was the highlight, but even without it, he was probably only second to Gravenberch as the best player on the park.
Endo passed the ball quickly and between the lines, which is not something his game is associated with. He won it back with clever interceptions and tackles, but also was good in the air, especially impressive given he’s not tall.
Klopp, who was quite cutting following that Newcastle game, lauded him.
“The forward passes he played tonight were absolutely incredible and how often he broke lines with one touch was absolutely insane – and then he scores a wonderful goal,” the boss told TNT Sports post-match.
Quite the contrast. Endo was also excellent in the EFL Cup win against Leicester City. It should be noted that his two best performances have come at Anfield against lesser opposition. His one outing against a rival was disastrous, but the midfielder is improving in every performance.
Fabinho was very poor in his early games as he struggled to adjust to the pace of English football, but eventually became the world’s best defensive midfielder for a period before his legs left him.
Endo will never reach those heights, but he doesn’t have to. Klopp likes Alexis Mac Allister as his first-choice no.6, and at some point will have Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic to choose in that role, but Endo’s naturally battling qualities will benefit in many situations.
He’s clearly a brilliant person and a player who’s probably been underrated his entire career. At 25 he was still playing in Japan and at 27, in Belgium. Now, he’s fighting for minutes at one of the world’s biggest clubs and this is testament to his character and ability. There are zero doubts about his professionalism and his attitude and often, these attributes outweigh technique and vision. Just look at what Jordan Henderson achieved at Liverpool for example.
Endo is not somebody we’ll ever regard as world-class, but as a squad player, especially during this season in which we’re going to fight on four fronts, he’ll be vital. The need for rotation has never been greater and he’ll get plenty of minutes this term, whether that’s predominantly in the Europa League or from Premier League benches.
In the video below, you can check out his performance against Toulouse. If that was Moises Caicedo producing that game, we’d be losing our minds, right?
Wataru Endo and his best performance for @LFC to date. He’s settling in nicely and we can see the results slowly.
He can definitely do the job! ✅
🎬: @1947production pic.twitter.com/ZActs0q4ZV
— LFC Transfer Room (@LFCTransferRoom) October 28, 2023
Again, the opposition is a caveat, and Endo is naturally slow which will affect us against fast-breaking teams, but there are clearly big positives.
If Mac Allister continues to give the ball away from his position at the base of midfield, Endo might be knocking on the door for some more Premier League starts, too.