Forget Salah: What Endo was spotted doing on 86th minute of Man City win speaks volumes

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Wataru Endo looks on from the Liverpool bench at the Etihad Stadium.
(Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Liverpool put in a performance of champions to secure the lion’s share of the points against incumbent Premier League holders Manchester City.

What better way to answer Arsenal’s fumble against West Ham United on Saturday?

From a psychological standpoint – even if we were to ignore the potentially temporary 11-point advantage on the Gunners (who now have a game in hand) – you have to wonder how Mikel Arteta will pick up his side from here.

Liverpool are set to next take on Newcastle United in the league this coming Wednesday (ahead of their March repeat for the Carabao Cup final).

Wataru Endo’s importance to Liverpool can’t be underplayed

Wataru Endo tackles Manchester City player outside Liverpool box.
Wataru Endo is Liverpool’s under-celebrated hero – (Pictures courtesy of Sky Sports)

Much will rightly be made of Mo Salah’s contributions amid an ongoing debate around his Ballon d’Or candidacy. Not to mention Dominik Szoboszlai’s tireless display – perhaps his best ever in the famous red shirt – against Pep Guardiola’s outfit.

But we should also feel inclined to put aside some column space to credit the effort of our cameo stars.

Wataru Endo’s name won’t be followed by the same level of fanfare as the Egyptian King, but he’s been invaluable in helping protect Liverpool leads.

Our last two English top-flight outings against Wolves and Manchester City certainly demonstrated that point, as the Japanese international did the ugly work required.

You can catch the footage below, originating from Sky Sports’ broadcast:

Wataru Endo’s stats against Manchester City and Wolves

Endo picked up two ground duels (2/4) and one clearance in 17 minutes of action at the weekend.

There was a similarly productive outing in his cameo against Wolves in mid-February, with the 32-year-old winning 3/5 ground duels in 19 minutes at Anfield.

Not the kind of displays that will attract huge praise in the Sky Sports studio after the full-time whistle. That said, there’s not a doubt in our minds the former Stuttgart star’s efforts will have more than satisfied Arne Slot.

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16 Comments

  1. I am always impressed with Endo and his excellent defence work when called on. He does everything he can to close down the game in those vital last 10 or so minutes. He truly deserves to get that medal before he leaves/retires. A great and quiet member of the club. Well done.

    1. Mo salah is over praised.
      He loses almost all the balls when he tries to cross a defence player.
      He avoids difficult tackles .seldom helps out in defence.
      He happens to be in the right place when a loose ball falls in front of him to hit into the goal.

      1. Totally agree. I’ve been saying for ages that he never tackles but just holds his arms up in the air and lets them have the ball.

      2. You obviously have no concept of football. It’s not Mo’s job to defend being a striker unless advised by his manager. He maybe loses the ball from time to time, but his stats clearly shows his talent. Salah is a big game player. He always scores against the big teams. Not many strikers in the world can do this. Remember, EPL is the toughest league in the world having 6-7 big clubs.

      3. I agree. He never gets involved in any defending and will comfortably pull out of any one on one tackles. Every time he loses the ball he just throws his arms up in the air for someone else to go chasing to retrieve the ball. He has scored a lot of goals for the club, but I think he is overrated. That’s just my opinion.

  2. Oh ! What a performance by LFC against City.Even Pep does acknowledge it though he was overwhelmed by pride in his insistence that that LFC will never reach 100 point mark.Disappointed is Arteta who cheekily emphasised that LFC will struggle and drop points as it was the case previously. G.Neville is disappointed that he mistakenly raised the excuse that Arsenal’ s sole dependence caused their collapse. The is absolutely no tautology here in my comments.

  3. Mo salah is over praised.
    He loses almost all the balls when he tries to cross a defence player.
    He avoids difficult tackles .
    He happens to be in the right place when a loose ball falls in front of him to hit into the goal.

    1. Your last statement is what makes a perfect player… position yourself at the perfect spot at the right time.,..Ka boom

  4. Slot is really a genus,, Salah out of this world, endo master protector… We are on fire EPL Cup .. Never work alone.❤️

  6. He is a James Milner in disguise..always dependable, always deserves at least a 7 rating. When on field, you can trust him to fulfill his task. Amazing attitude

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