Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp heaps praise on Wataru Endo for dominating the midfield in the Premier League victory against Burnley
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp commended Wataru Endo for his impeccable performance against Burnley during the 2-0 victory at Turf Moor. The Boxing Day victory takes Liverpool to the top of the table in the Premier League until the Arsenal game.
The Reds dominated the away game, keeping 69% of the possession and having 10 shots on target. Liverpool deployed the midfield of Harvey Elliot and Ryan Gravenberch with only Endo keeping his place during the squad rotation.
The Japan captain is the only player to start in all five games in the last 13 days. No player has achieved the feat of incredible durability like the 30-year-old since January 2006. During those days, the managers did not deploy the rotation policy so vigorously to compensate for the fixture congestion.
Endo has also shown his immense quality on possession with strong decision-making and composure on the ball to dictate the tempo for his team. The 30-year-old brought more balance to the midfield with his presence in the recent games, allowing others to create threats.
Klopp praised Endo after the Burnley game (h/t Telegraph) for his man-of-the-match-worthy performance. He said:
“My god what a game he played. He was another contender for man of the match – looking at that game without him would have been really strange. I love him. What a boy, and what a player. It took a little bit of time for him to show how good he really is. But now we can see and I’m really happy about that.”
Liverpool signed Endo from Stuttgart for £16.2m during the summer after Chelsea outbid them for Moises Caicedo. Many experts believe that Liverpool goaded Chelsea into paying over the top while they secretly wrapped up Endo’s signing.
The summer involved big clubs signing midfielders for highly-inflated prices with many breaking or nearing the £100m mark. The signing of Endo came against the usual policy that the Reds use which involves signing young players.
Wataru Endo explains why he wears a gum shield during matches! pic.twitter.com/TKgJIQYWdQ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 23, 2023
The 30-year-old joined the Reds with an obscure reputation compared to other big-money signings during the summer. However, Endo has proven to be another astute buy with his all-round combative qualities and performances. Meanwhile, the likes of Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, the former and younger targets, have failed to make any impact for their new club.
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The 30-year-old took his time to adjust to the pace of the Premier League and now seems completely comfortable. Endo has to join his national team next year for the AFC Asian Cup, missing many games. No one could have imagined that the Japanese captain would be so important but it goes to show the incredible scouting department Liverpool have.
