Liverpool-bound midfielder Wataru Endo will help to fill the void left by the departures of captain Jordan Henderson and vice-captain James Milner in more ways than one.
First and foremost, Endo partly addresses the shortage of defensive midfielders in the Reds’ squad. But he should also offer leadership in the dressing room as the skipper of not only Stuttgart but the Japan national team too.
Japan sprung two historic upsets in the World Cup group stages last year, beating Germany and Spain in its first two matches to seal a place in the knockout stages when many had written the nation off. Endo was subsequently rested for the final fixture against Costa Rica, with progression already assured, but returned to the starting line-up for the round of 16 match-up with eventual third-place finishsers Croatia.
After Ivan Perišić canceled out Daizen Maeda’s goal in normal time, the match went all the way to extra time and penalties, with Croatia eventually prevailing 3-1 in the shoot-out. He may have emerged on the losing side at the Al Janoub Stadium, but Endo was the best player on the pitch, as his man of the match award from The Athletic demonstrates.
Above all else, the number six did the dirty work effectively, placing second in the Japan ranks for combined tackles and interceptions (three) and for blocks (also three). He also prevailed in virtually every 50/50 he contested, winning a match-high six out of seven ground duels, and going the whole game without being dribbled past. On a couple of occasions, he beat opposite number Mateo Kovačić — signed by Manchester City for $38m (£30m/€35m) earlier this summer — to the ball with sliding challenges.
Well-known Twitter number-cruncher Statman Dave wrote that Endo was ‘everywhere’ over the course of the game, and that’s borne out by his tally of seven ball recoveries, the third-best in his team.
In possession, he was even more effective. He led Japan for completed passes (60) and passing accuracy (87) per cent, even though he was often under pressure from Kovačić when he received it in his own half. Sometimes a high retention rate can indicate a midfielder is playing it safe, but it wouldn’t be fair to say that about Endo here. He topped the Japan ranks for progressive passes (eight) and passes into the penalty area, and was second for passes into the final third (six). The man with the armband was able to pick out balls that broke the Croatia lines or released wingers into space down the flanks.
He was also the most effective playmaker in the game, leading the way for shot-creating actions (five) and expected assisted goals (0.5) while also fashioning two big chances.
Endo went close to scoring himself too when he whipped a shot goalwards from 25 yards, but Dominik Livaković was able to tip it over the crossbar. No Japan player had more attempts than his three.
The final element of his display that stood out was his ability to win fouls. By getting his body between man and ball, he drew four over the course of the match, more than anybody else.
Croatia’s midfield included not only Kovacic but also Real Madrid icon Luka Modrić, and yet neither could match Endo. Between them, they only managed to win five out of 14 ground duels, they lost possession 29 times and they were also dribbled past on three occasions.
Endo didn’t get the outcome he deserved that day, but from the Liverpool perspective, this was an exciting glimpse of what he can do up against an elite midfield
Jurgen Klopp has quietly revealed who Wataru Endo is replacing at Liverpool
There is no denying that this summer has been one of serious upheaval at Anfield.
After originally saying goodbye to Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita at the end of May on their own terms, the same cannot be said about the Saudi Arabia purge that resulted in Liverpool’s shock departures of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho just weeks later.
As a result, Jurgen Klopp began the new Premier League season at Stamford Bridge with a squad that lacked Moises Caicedo or Romeo Lavia and was instead forced to deploy summer signing Alexis Mac Allister in a deeper-lying midfield role.
Yet despite a bright start against the Londoners, the Reds failed to persist with their high press and quickly found themselves at the mercy of Mauricio Pochettino’s side shortly after Axel Disasi had cancelled out Luis Diaz’s opener.
As a result, Jurgen Klopp began the new Premier League season at Stamford Bridge with a squad that lacked Moises Caicedo or Romeo Lavia and was instead forced to deploy summer signing Alexis Mac Allister in a deeper-lying midfield role.
Yet despite a bright start against the Londoners, the Reds failed to persist with their high press and quickly found themselves at the mercy of Mauricio Pochettino’s side shortly after Axel Disasi had cancelled out Luis Diaz’s opener.
The ECHO understands the 30-year-old defensive midfielder will cost Liverpool in the region of £16m, with the Bundesliga side having granted Endo permission to speak to Liverpool over a proposed move to Anfield.
After failed pursuits of Caicedo and Lavia earlier this month, coupled with interim sporting director Jorg Schmadtke’s close ties back in his homeland, the news of Endo’s arrival was initially met with an understandable amount of scepticism.
But a more in-depth dive into the background of the veteran midfielder should familiarise Kopties with precisely what they will be welcoming to Anfield. Clearly, after a summer of surprises, Liverpool are looking at ways to replace the wealth of knowledge they have been deprived of following the summer exits of Henderson, Milner and Fabinho. Between them, the trio tallied over 5,600 minutes of Premier League action last season.
And even though Henderson and Fabinho found themselves as two of Liverpool’s first-choice midfielders during their final campaign as Reds, Milner was restricted to just seven starts in the Premier League. As a result of being the elder statesman of the dressing room, the 37-year-old was summoned from the bench on 24 occasions last campaign, with 17 of those coming after the 70th minute.
Even in command of an unassuming, bit-part role, Klopp was keen to offer Milner another one-year extension at the club in the hope of taking his Anfield career into its eighth season. But after the 37-year-old rejected the offer to sign for Brighton & Hove Albion in June, the Reds boss quickly revealed his eagerness to fill the void left by his former No.7.
“How we finished games, it was always James Milner came on, stuff like that, and finished the game pretty much for us in a super-professional way,” said Klopp, during last month’s pre-season tour of Singapore. “In the end – the last few weeks and months – maybe he finished more of the games off. We have players for that role, younger players, and it just opens doors and that’s what we need. Yes, we as a group want to put things right.”
And on review of Endo’s resume, Liverpool might have found their man.
At 30, his arrival should act as a bridge between Liverpool’s young and old stars, in a similar way to what Milner’s arrival at Anfield in 2015 did. It comes at a time when the Reds have made a significant effort to lower the average age of their midfield ranks with the summer arrivals of Mac Allister and Dominik Szboszlai.
Such a decision came after much was made of the age profiles within Liverpool’s engine room last season. On a regular basis when dissecting defeats, it became apparent that Fabinho was the only midfielder in his 20s to make 10 or more appearances for the club in the Premier League.
Ranking either side of the Brazilian, was Harvey Elliott, who made 32 appearances. Meanwhile, Henderson and Milner ranked ahead of Thiago Alcantara for league outings of those aged 30 and above. In contrast, Stuttgart’s versatile Japanese star has featured in 99 out of a possible 102 Bundesliga games since August 2020.
And having featured in two World Cups for the Samurai Blues, the Stuttgart midfielder clearly has an abundance of experience that will prove to be vital this term as the likes of Stefan Bajcetic, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister all look to settle in during their first full seasons at Anfield.
Critically important when joining a midfield that spent much of last season lumbering between assignments is that despite being a year older than Fabinho, Endo has played roughly 5,800 minutes less than the Brazilian at club level. Those minutes have come across over 380 appearances in a career that started in his homeland.
Equally as impressive is the clean bill of health that the midfield is expected to bring to Merseyside after missing just two league games in the Bundesliga due to injury since moving to the MHPArena on an initial loan deal in 2019. One of which was due to the Coronavirus, while the other was as a result of a concussion.
Of course, he may not be the long-term Caicedo, Lavia or even Aurelien Tchouameni alternative Liverpool had in mind when they began their search for Fabinho’s heir last summer, but Endo will certainly have a significant role to play at Anfield this campaign and beyond. Klopp may have just found his new Milner.