Wataru Endo looks like he's preparing for 12 rounds in the boxing ring. Photo: Getty Images
Wataru Endo has become a defender for Liverpool. the ultimate protective shield. Or perhaps a rubber shin guard would be more appropriate.
The Japanese player looks like he's preparing for 12 rounds in a boxing ring rather than a football match, an unusual charm that brought him to the attention of the Kop during a brilliant run . .
“When I was in Germany, I met a Japanese dentist; he told me it's a good mouthpiece, it makes a difference in performance,” Endo recently told Sky Sports.
“Now I just wear it to protect my teeth and it also looks like a fighter so when I go out on the field, I just put the mouthpiece on and it's like game mode.”
The 31-year-old, who was rested against Sheffield United on Thursday night, is expected to return for the game against Manchester United this weekend. as another emblem of the contrasting selection of clubs that have gone in different directions.
It seems like a lifetime since United played Liverpool with their world famous and multi-award winning Brazilian midfielder Casemiro , seen by some as the difference between Erik ten Hag returning his club to the top four and Jurgen Klopp preparing for Champions League exile as time passes. caught up with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and James Milner.
Casemiro cost £70m and it is unlikely he would take a pay cut from the £200,000 a week he earned at Real Madrid.
Endo was unfashionably cheaper at current market prices: £18 million on contract, likely half that of his United counterpart. Both are in their early 30s, but while Endo's performances this season have defied age and breathed new life into Liverpool's midfield (Klopp predicts his successor will “want to give him another long-term contract”), there remains a sense that Casemiro's best qualities are left behind. , an occasional reminder of his class is not enough to silence those who see him as representing the extremes of Old Trafford's transfer strategy.
It feels like Casemiro's best days are behind him. Photo: Simon Stacpoole/Getty Images
If Alexis McAllister was the perfect parting gift from former Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward, Endo was a eureka moment for Jörg Schmadtke.
Schmadtke was only hired to cover two transfer windows and his arrival was met with some suspicion during which history would be made in Michael Edwards' two-year sabbatical at Anfield.
But his knowledge of the Bundesliga ensured he and Klopp realized what few other elite clubs had done by watching Endo in Stuttgart's midfield » over the past three years.
As Klopp later admitted, Liverpool's move for the Japan captain was a good one, as they spent much of last summer trying to lure Romeo Lavia before offering a staggering £111 million for Moises Caicedo – a sliding-door moment in Klopp's farewell campaign.< /p>
In terms of his age, Endo was an atypical signing, with the move described as shrewd by those who believed Klopp could do no wrong, and as a desperate, emergency response by others who wondered whether the manager was drifting away and Schmadtke from Anfield's personnel policy. what brought such success. The fact that so many clubs were in the market for a number six, including Bayern Munich, who faced Endo regularly in the Bundesliga, only added to the cynicism about how good he could be.
Endo (right) was signed from Stuttgart for the bargain price of £18 million. Photo: Getty Images
“The owners really want a 20-year-old who has played 200 games,” Klopp admitted after the deal was completed. “I know people are asking why no one signed him [Endo] sooner.”
Given the initial cynicism, it was no coincidence that Klopp greeted Endo with the most effusive praise ever heaped on one of his signings, showing off a series of text messages congratulating him from his German friends on the “brilliant” move.
“He's jumping” through the ceiling, really good in general defensive tasks, tactically very smart, covers the right players, a good footballer, on top of that, a good heart, desire, a really good combination,” Klopp said last August.< /p>
“When you see him running now, there is no chance anyone would give him 30 years, he doesn't look old enough to drive, he looks like a monster on the field.”
Despite the poor start, Klopp was impressively vindicated.
But while energy, tenacity and a terrier-like ability on the ball are obvious standout qualities, it is the impact on those around Endo that has had the most profound impact. impact on Liverpool's season, especially on his midfield partner Mac Allister.
The full potential of Alex Mac Allister (centre ) opened. unleashed by Endo Photo: Peter Powell/Shutterstock
While Endo adapted to Klopp's system and Mac Allister was the number six in defence, the Argentine had no goals, one assist and five shots in his first 11 Premier League games.
Since Endo has established himself – he has missed only four of the last 19 league games (three due to participation in the Asian Cup) – Mac Allister has four goals, four assists and 24 shots, his creative talent is revealed in a perfectly balanced game. midfield.
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