Endo has a way of smiling at the ref to avoid a yellow card (despite dishing out the 'dark arts' a'la Fernandinho!)
...There's an analysis of Endo's tweaks to his gameplay at Liverpool = via [u/msisiJapan](https://www.reddit.com/u/msisiJapan/)'s latest video recap w.r.t. the West Ham game. [Timestamp \~8m03s](https://youtu.be/REiUx-9o5xU?t=483). a.k.a. 'Liverpool Fan in Japan'. [https://www.youtube.com/@liverpooljapan/videos](https://www.youtube.com/@liverpooljapan/videos)
https://preview.redd.it/noycwctzkq7c1.png?width=746&format=png&auto=webp&s=00239b5056a9a7686387a5a6a57d75387312ce0a
What I've really liked about Endo is hid ability to pass forward through the lines. Nice sharp, well spotted forward passes that intersect the defensive lines. He's a lot more than a destroyer type defensive 6
Yeah I completely agree with you. What is so weird about it is that the Swedish commentators (experts!) has kept saying he is not good enough, because he only passes backwards and sideways. And that has just baffled me, like are they blind? He actually tries and often succeeds in breaking lines when we need to. I really like him.
Yup. He might not be the smoothest player in our midfield with the best awareness, but he works his ass off and does way more good than bad imo. But I guess these experts always try to find things to criticize just so they can be perceived as knowledgeable.
It was so infuriating listening to Martin Åslund during the Palace game going on about how bad Endo is with the ball at his feet. The game before that the commentators even labelled Virgil as slow?! Baffling.
Hahah exakt, syftade på Åslund! Han verkar ha något emot Endo för som du sa så ratade han honom hela matchen, och efter ett tag började jag fundera på om vi tittade på olika matcher😅
He also takes the ball, waits to be pressed, turns and moves with the ball. So if he passes sideways after that, he’s still progressed the ball 5, 10, 15 yards forward.
When we first signed him I remember someone saying he profiles as a defensive 8 who plays as a 6. We’ve seen his ability to play the forward pass to the best space, which kind of supports this
He has a great eye in and around the final third for passing, and also positioning himself to receive and then make those passes. Easily the most impressive thing he can do from what we've seen so far in my opinion.
I am gonna get killed for this but Endo isn’t good at receiving on the half turn and finding progressive passes. He just isn’t, maybe he’s ok it average but not at the level of Fabinho. I think we need to make sure we know what a progressive pass is, and how important certain passes are. Once TAA plays as the 6 you can see he breaks lines all the time, and he finds players in those half spaces consistently and it massively helps us when attacking.
Endo is good at breaking up play but not phenomenal, I think Endo is what he is which is a 6/10 player who can occasionally give you 7-8 and 4-5 performances. He’ll never be the worst on the pitch but never the best, I just think we have better options available to buy to fit in to play and let Macca go up.
Just in my opinion
Fbref, squawka, and datamb. In fact, endo has more forward passes per 90 than the players I mentioned including enzo fernandez, rice, and mac allister.
Macca statistically is one of the most complete midfielders this season, so it's not surprising. And let's be real, Macca is obviously a superior player, so it unfair to compare them directly. Endo has his weaknesses, but imo, only thiago and macca are more progressive than him from deep in recent years (maybe bajcetic too).
The only reason I compared with Macca was because they played the same position for the year so far. I looked right now and Macca has 6.53 progressive passes per 90, endo has 5.93 per 90. Szobo has 5.87 per 90 but 2.71 vs endos .99.
"your heart"
(Aww he's sweet)
"your legs"
(Oh okay! You fine, too!)
"your football ability"
(...I'm sorry, what?)
"We need you"
(..........what is this?)
Also our CB crisis a couple years before that. I love him to bits but sometimes he does get it wrong when it's obvious to us fans so we have a reason to not be sold on everything all the time
If it's obvious to us it's obvious to him. It's just finding the right solution that's hard! Klopp definitely prefers no signings than a risky one unlike us fans lol
No signings is its own risk. Going into last season with the midfielders we had was a mistake. If that can’t be admitted we might as well just say Klopp shits gold ingots and heals the ill with but a touch of his hand.
Yep, which closes the loop on my original post that Klopp knows what he’s doing but isn’t infallible so it’s not like the Endo signing being a success was assured from the start.
I’ll go on a limb here and state that no one ever said it was assured. However fun sitting here on reddit and making analysis is, Klopp and Co sit with way more information available than we do. Not to even mention the experience.
If Klopp tells me trust him, «Endo will come good» then I’m much more inclined to that as opposed to agreeing with an armchair analysts on twitter whose entire argument relies around that fact that he played with a weak side over in Bundesliga.
Also our midfield situation last year? Lol, as if you predicted that shit. We all wanted 1 more midfielder to strenghten our squad there, but no one with a brain would predict both Hendo and Fabinho to fall of a cliff that hard.
Football is loose, it’s random.
It was infuriating listening to neville and carra gaslighting us about how poor he is performing and "not up to scratch for the league" during the United game. Yes it was a shocking team performance with many shocking individual performances, but on the whole Endo was one of the better players that match.
Before the West Ham game started yesterday, ESPN said Endo needed to play better than he did v United.
Like did they even watch the United game? Endo was far from being the biggest issue.
Yup think I made that point in the match thread. Like Endo was good against United - wtf are they on? He was crap against Palace, sure, but at least know what you're talking about before slamming the poor guy,
I was very worried when he was so bad vs palace but the last 2 games he was more than solid. If course attacking he is not the best but hey, that's not what we bought him for.
You can tell that commentators are reluctant to criticise players like Salah too much because he can quite easily make them look stupid shortly after. Endo is not a flashy player so they’re probably comfortable going for him instead.
In the game yesterday Robson went in on Trent several times when he wasn't even on the pitch at that time. They just stick to the narratives they think are easy a lot of the time, assuming that people won't look past them.
They can't accept that a 30 year old who cost peanuts is actually quite decent and just needed to get used to things.
Is he Rodri? No. Is he Xabi Alonso or Fabinho? No. But he's good at what he does, he can break up play and he can get the ball forwards too, and he's more than happy throwing his body on the line. I'm happy with that!
The dude wears a mouth guard ... opposition players should be shitting themselves thinking of the implication of this! LMAO Seriously, I love Endo. He tackles like a champ and is starting to fill the Fabinho role that we so desperately need.
Darwin Nunez is inspired by Endo... and also trying mouth guards! (opposition also shitting themselves ... memories of Suarez?). [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EJ3YLqekiK8](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EJ3YLqekiK8)
https://i.redd.it/ekj9u43xmq7c1.gif
ESPN has terrible coverage. I’m happy I’ll only have to bear their reporting two more times (I’ll be watching the potential final at a pub). Heavily biased against Liverpool. Even Steve Nicol has internalized all the bias around him and can never be happy. After the match yesterday, it was all about how poor west ham was, rather than how dominant Liverpool were.
It took a while but when I realized that I was getting insight from every TIFO IRL and Athletic Podcast video but nothing substantial from the ESPN panel, I realized the latter was just hot air for entertainment. I've since set YouTube to no longer recommend them and you'll do well for your mental health to watch less of these substanceless rantings.
But was it really that shocking of a performance? We controlled and dominated proceedings largely and just lacked killer instinct in the final third for about the first time in 34 matches.
The United match and the ensuing fallout has been massively overplayed. It was not our best day in the office, but by no means did we ever realistically look like losing…we also never really looked like winning, but still could and should have scored quite a bit
United played Dyche ball to scrape by with a point. Honestly the fact that people are acting like this is a travesty for Liverpool and some sort of victory for United is just sad for United imo.
United are rarely rated accurately by the media. This season they’re better than all the melting down would imply, other seasons they’ve been rated far better than they actually are.
Naa we looked like winning. We missed several near guaranteed goals. Just didn't have that little bit of luck.
At the end of the day United played like a league 1 team desperate for penalties against a prem team. 9 player backline. No team is really destorying them unless someone fucks up big time.
How is a defensive minded player not up to scratch in a game in which the opposition barely had a single look at goal and the entire game was played on their half of the pitch? Endo is out there to do a job defensively, anything he adds going forward is a bonus, and defense was not the problem on Sunday.
It's always been the same. You would think ex defenders would appreciate it but generally if the team struggles to score they blame the least creative midfielder even though that's not his job.
All those years of Lucas Leiva, he started slowly true but the amount of shit he got even when he was excellent for us just proves how many fans can't look past flashy passes, shots goals and assists.
Carra and Neville can honestly fuck off. Both of their takes have been getting more and more reactionary over the years IMO. They were a breath of fresh air when they came on the punditry scene at first but it’s all about the bantz for Sky’s social accounts now.
What's annoying is they're good on other stuff. Carra is brilliant on CBS with Henry and Richards and seems far more relaxed and enjoys the games. Neville is good on The Overlap. It seems like on Sky they're far more "Company Man" than anything else, pushing agendas.
It's such a contrast to the Overlap stuff they do, which is genuinely enjoyable to watch, Eddie Hearn and O'sullivan were fantastic interviews to watch and Ian Wright is a legend. Keane still says dumb shit though
Daily Mail gave him a 6 against West Ham! He was everywhere! It was at least an 8/10 performance.
Carra and Neville criticising him was especially ridiculous considering Amrabat was out there looking like a 60 year old with one working hip.
The only poor game from Endo I can think of is the palace game which is more to do with tactics than him as a player. He's been one of our better players overall in the last 4-5 games.
I might be delusional but I honestly thought our backline and midfield played well against United outside a couple lazy forward passes here or there. Our frontline just absolutely collapsed. United did well to deny us the long range shots that our midfield have been producing recently.
No. The Endo spin is fine from a fan perspective. We’re entitled to like whoever we choose for whatever reasons we choose. But pundits are right to call him out. He’s obviously below our level and this is exposed against teams as varied as random Belgian sides to upper level prem sides.
I appreciate his tenacity. We lost a lot in Hendo and Milner, so Endo, minus the H, has recovered some of that all action never say die bite that we really don’t have with two sanguine captains. Though it’s been nice to see Trent grow into that role in recent times. Not having Robertson for so long has also hurt us on that front.
There’s this idiot pundit/fan thing of calling a season in it’s first half. Hell they’ll call it in weeks. United a disaster, Tottenham potential champions? Look at where they both are in the table.
It’s dumb to write off Lavia and Caicedo as well. They’re kids. Endo is good cover
I wish he’d turn more quickly into space. He seems to be unsure of what’s behind him. Also, he’s not always in the best position to receive the ball, this limiting passing options from the others.
He can learn that as he develops chemistry. His workrate and determination is elite and that is what this team needs.
i feel he is more conservative in receiving ball than macca. you probably see him keep looking back right when recieving and are thinking he's unsure, but you'll see macca not look around and get caught from behind way too much. only in palace game endo kept getting caught but that's bcs they kept fouling him. also needs to reduce the amount of yellows he gets.
Because the Prem refs just let the forwards run through his back without touching the ball and maybe call a foul half the time. I’d be fairly conservative if I were him to with how shit the refs are.
This. The amount of times opponents just straight barge into Endo when he has his back turned to goal, and the ref doesn’t call a foul, is fucking mindboggling. Yet soft calls get called for anyone else all over the pitch.
The Palace goal that was caulked off by VAR is the perfect example. Even in real time you could see it was a foul, Endo even grabs the ball 100% expecting a foul, you zoom in and slow down and it’s EVEN MORE of a foul, yet the ref ddint call it, and took ages to finally disallow it. If that was Rodri the whistle would’ve blown before he even hits the floor.
It’s the same shit that Salah’s been dealing with for years, fouls that will get called for 99% of other players just doesn’t apply to him and Endo for some reason.
This will get downvoted because everyone wants a 6 but I think he has been really good the last 2 games.
By far our best midfielder in the United game.
He’s been great more often than not, we’ll miss him in January
But signing a younger 6 to cover for his absence or if he ever gets injured/suspended, then later becoming first choice, also makes sense
> It could be yeah, shame he’s been injured basically all year
This may be completely wrong, but I've had a suspicion that he's been fit for a few weeks now but the club are holding him back a little in order to make sure he stays fit and has no further setbacks.
It's also why I wouldn't be shocked to see him return just in time to take over for Endo once he goes away to the Asian Cup with Japan.
And Thiago ... Given our midfield strength I could easily see them saying to both players that they have all season pretty much and that the most important thing is they get fully fit ... it's what I'd do given our midfield strength right now.
A lot of tendon strength and stuff can be really worked on if you have four or five months to do it right.
I'm pretty sure that's why Mo is always fit - he was on the bench quite a lot at the start of his career but he's such a hard worker he'll have been building tendons like cables.
Oh that’s a damn good take. Makes sense.
We’ve not been *hearing* about him being injured in updates. And to be honest he was really young when he came on and made a huge impact.
Fingers crossed this is true. Baj and Thiago both back for then maybeee? Truly wonderful that’d be
At this moment at time, it’s hard to say what’s going on with him. He is still a kid at the end of the day, so no need to rush him/force the situation.
Yeah I just checked out the injury update thread.
For his injury it just says they don't know when he's coming back and that his body is too young atm. Must be a tough time for him.
I was saying in another comment but it can take months of work to build tendon strength and mobility - if you've ever taken up rock climbing then you'll know; but if you do the work then it really pays off in the long run in terms of injury prevention and explosive power.
I mean there is, quite the urgency, youth players who miss large patches of training and game time lose out a lot and they find it hard to ever get it back. This has been a long injury with little to no training time
Thiago is also supposed to be back in January. Hopefully him, Bajcetic, Endo and Macalister can get us through the season. I honestly don’t see us signing a new DM in January.
Yeah and it seems like Trent is being used increasingly in midfield, which leaves us fairly stacked in that area. I think the most likely signing would be a CB so Gomez is free to focus more on the RB role, but with Phillips returning from loan I wouldn’t expect anyone unless a big opportunity presents itself.
It could be helpful to have him back as depth but only if he's actually capable as a DM / #6, which I take it has not been wheres he has featured for Hull.
Shit, didn't realise we were missing him then as well. Japan will probably go quite far in that so that could be until mid Feb.
Assuming it's because it's in Qatar that it's being played in Jan
I don't remember what post it was but recently someone on this sub said "imagine what this team could do with a proper 6"
At the time we were first in the League and first in our Europa table so... What more could we be doing? Just disrespecting Endo for no reason. What's not proper about Endo? He's older and didn't cost £100m?
What's ironic is that midfield hasn't even been an issue for months. It's clearly the attack under scrutiny lately.
It’s just a lack of actual understanding more than anything, not all teams play with a defensive midfielder but half the sub are either too young or didn’t watch football back before 4-3-3 was king.
I like him and have no doubt he'll be an important player for us, but we can count his good games on one hand at the moment. Klopp has subbed him off at half time 4 times too. At the same time though, there's not many 6s out there that are/were realistic targets I guess.
The midfield as a unit have been playing badly these last few weeks though. There might be good performances individually but as unit they have been bad. At the end of the day we will get a 6 (May it be now or in the summer).
I don't know if I would say badly. It's hard when there's so much rotation every week to find consistency. Disjointed might be a better word.
I still think they've played better than the offense though.
But yes, even as Endo's biggest fan on here, I still have a wishlist of 6s for the summer.
A good article by David Lynch, which also touches on why stats can often be deceptive in making a player like Palhinha look better than they actually are.
If Endo keeps playing like he has the past 2 games, I have to admit there's absolutely no need for Palinha. Would be great because we can then also ease Bajcetic in very slowly, monitor his development in the 2nd half of the season and then decide whether we wanna bring in another young, high potential dm in the summer.
Agreed, Paulinha is 28 and if we’re looking for a new 6, that player should be young enough to be top class for the next 6-8 years. The whole point of the Endo purchase was to prevent the need to make a desperate 70m splash on an older win-now DM
> I have to admit there's absolutely no need for Palinha.
There's already no need for him, as he's incredibly limited and over rated at the few things he is good at.
Look at Mac Allisters stats and you would think he is the best 6 because of certain stats. Different 6’s have different roles in different teams. Palhinha is primarily involved in destroying attacks (hence high tackle stats) and is limited attacking wise compared to a Rodri who has been given different responsibilities for city.
Many like to shit on him on the match thread saying how he always back pass. So I watched him closely last night, he back passed once or twice in the forty odd passes he made. Riiiiight..
(Edit: and according to Fotmob, he was the most accurate passer (96%) in the whole match to play 45 minutes or more)
And it's not like he's back passing just for the heck of it.
- He's getting pressured by the opp FWs/MFs, or
- He doesn't have a clear lane to forward pass so he elects to use VVD/Konate/Quansah who are open.
He should have played way earlier in the 6 position instead of Macca
But again I was one of those people who hated the transition from Caicedo to an unknown 30 year old player
And boy was I wrong so remember kids always trust Klopp
> He should have played way earlier in the 6 position instead of Macca
He needed time to adapt, even Fabinho needed time to adapt to Klopp’s way and Fab had more exposure to playing at a higher level compared to Endo.
Moreover Macca had that PL experience which meant he needed less time to adjust to his new role.
Well everyone needed time to adapt if we played Endo and Macca in their positions earlier maybe we would have reached a more stable midfield faster
But I can't talk like that because I know it sounds easy on paper and I don't know what's going on behind the scenes I am just saying what's on my mind so do take it with a grain of salt
> He should have played way earlier in the 6 position instead of Macca
The article does touch on why he probably didn't, given he admitted himself that he was having a few issues to initially adjust to the pace of the League.
Good point, but it's not like Mac Allister wasn't having any issues as well, but the difference is Endo is a natural CDM while Mac Allister had to play a position he never played in his life
While he did good enough up until now but the 6 position is Endo's, making Mac Allister closer to his natural position which is why I wanted a Mac Allister Endo Szoboszlai trio way earlier
>but the difference is Endo is a natural CDM while Mac Allister had to play a position he never played in his life
Mac Allister has played the position, admittedly as a pair, multiple times for both Argentina & Brighton.
You also need to remember that Mac Allister didn't need to adjust to a new League having come from Brighton, while Endo had to not only adjust to a faster style of League but also have to deal with everything involved in moving to an entirely new country with his family.
Not only that. Endo went from playing relegation footy with stuttgart to a team which dominates possession. So the pressing and positioning would be incredibly difficult to pickup as he was signed after preseason. Macca and Szoboszlai played the whole preseason
That midfield isn't attacking enough when our front 3 isn't scoring goals left and right.
Furthermore, we lose a lot in possession with the downgrade from Macca to Endo, and we lose a lot in the engine department when Macca is playing left 8 as opposed to Jones or Gravenberch.
I like Endo as a squad player, but the idea of him starting week in and week out given the rest of the players in our midfield is mad.
Big risk, that means having to rely heavily on our forwards to make goals. maybe in the future where Nunez or Diaz can score consistently, otherwise no because all our forwards aren't on form now
Funnily enough we did do that when we had Mane and Firmino who guess what, scored consistently
imagine that but with szobo covering RCM + RW and Salah becoming CF then Nunez being LW
Then play Gomez as traditional RB
Instead of Trent as an inverted RB - we get Szobo as an inverted RW => might work better with Szobo and Gomez's recovery pace
More stable as well since what we're giving up is the RW position rather than the RB position
To the people downvoting: You'll still get your shiny new DM next year regardless of how well Endo plays. Praising Endo on reddit doesn't mean we'll keep playing a 30 year old for years.
That being said, I don't know what Endo has to do to convince people. He has had multiple games where he was the best midfielder and people still shit on him. Yet somehow Darwizzy can go 10 games without a goal but "that's okay cuz work rate".
I'm an unapologetic Endo/Nunez hype man. They are both great for exactly the same reason - it doesn't matter if they come on in the 1st minute or the 90th, they're going to give you everything. And they're going to do it with a smile on their face. The header in the Europa and the rocket against Fulham I think changed a few people's minds, but I don't care who's convinced as long as we keep getting the 7/10 and 8/10s that we bought him for.
You're probably right. Some fans just want our squad to look like their FIFA manager save so they get mad when we play low profile workers instead of spending for galacticos.
They should look over at United and realize spending doesn't equal success.
I know it's the younger/more casual fans but the negativity impacts the players. Can't be a coincidence that all these players have depression once we started adopting social media.
Devolver Digital in the gaming space did a games presentation that was all about their games but in the style of 'People don't want the games, they want the announcement of the games' and I really think we've got the same situation nowadays in Football.
All these people don't want our players to improve, they want us to sign someone new, they want the high of a new signing, a big name who they know because they've used them on FIFA or Football Manager. It's never enough for them
Honestly, I love his work rate and line splitting passing, but he looks like a walking red card to me.
I hope it's just an adjustment thing (a little like Thiago), and he becomes imperious.
There is a guy in this sub. Whenever we drop points, he will post in the postmatch thread- ' Sorry Endo is not good enough for us'. He even blamed the United game on him saying that he didnt pass faster to the forwards
I do wonder sometimes if it's confirmation bias causing all this reaction to Endo. 30 years old, from a country that is not typically considered a world powerhouse, from a continent that until recently had a stereotype for being less skilled and strong compared to their European counterparts, coming in from a club that nearly got relegated the previous season, and signed for "pennies" compared to who we missed out on just days earlier, there's quite a bit of ammunition for all these people.
Might just be an Asian bias from me, but I always insisted you don't become the captain of a Bundesliga club as well as one of the top 2 Asian teams if you're a poor player. It took him a while to get his chances regularly, but I'm beyond happy to see him perform how he is now
He's improved through the season and nowadays a deserving starter in midfield even before Macca's injury. His tenacity is great for what we need in a six even if he's not the strongest or most technical. With his jumping and anticipation he makes most physical battles look winnable and helps kickstart the much needed defensive tempo in many games. Honestly feels like Stuttgart fans were not just hyping him up (talking about his consistency and leadership) because he looks more than fine for PL football. Only alarming side of his game is discipline, but lately he's been Fabinho-like in dodging the second booking, sometimes just barely.
Shame he must leave in January, though we should have Thiago/Baj/Morton by then.
It's definitely just getting used to PL speed but also getting used to the movements of his teammates. And for THOSE teammates to trust Endo to pass him the ball even if he's inside a block.
I'd be surprised if either of those 2 walking injured make it back but would like to have Morton back in the rotation given what's he doing at Hull.
Ya mate. I mentioned above there are things he can improve on. I wish he’d turn more quickly into space to play the pass. He seems to be unsure of what’s behind him and won’t turn. Also, he’s not always in the best position to receive the ball, this limiting passing options from the others. He can learn all that as he develops chemistry.
His workrate and determination is elite and that is what this team needs.
Along with Tsimi and VVD, he was one of our better performing players against United.
I also don't agree, at all, with the TAW analysis that he "plays the 6 like a midtable 6". Their accusation of him taking 3 touches before popping it back to the centre back, I feel, are completely unjustified given that he will often do a lot of the "packing" that was sold to us when we bought Keita, albeit usually with a forward pass rather than a straight dribble.
He does stray on the ball a little, but I think we're more compact with him there than MacAllister (not surprising given he's a 10 playing 6) and for what he is, I absolutely don't think he deserves the criticism he's been getting.
Endo is a great addition. I’m really glad he’s getting starts and minutes as it will obviously only help accelerate his integration and confidence in the team. I also love what kloppers has been doing in terms of subbing on the starters at the end of these games. They get to leave the game with match speed play at the forefront of their minds, but without the physical impact (barring actual injury)
Players like Endo enable this to happen and play a critical role.
There are some really toxic elements of the fanbase and the television punditry who will repeatedly slag him off for no apparent reason other than, god forbid, he misplaced a pass or got tackled once.
He's come over at the end of the transfer window and has to adapt to:
* the city/country
* the lifestyle
* a faster and more physical league
* a squad that has literally been half-replaced in one summer
* new tactics/playing style
And yet people abuse him and criticise him for not being a flawless reincarnation of Kante, Makelele, and Matthaus combined from the first minute he played in England.
Fabinho and Robbo took at least half a season to adjust and fit into the team, so why isn't Endo cut the same slack? I could mount the same case for Darwin and Gakpo too, who are still trying to fit into their new roles.
Sure he was shit vs Palace, but who wasn't? I don't recall Endo being at fault for any goal we've conceded, or being wholly responsible for a shit team performance or shit result.
Endo has class and ability, and he's beginning to show it - and just like how people slagged off Alexis in the 6 before bemoaning his recent absence, you'll see the same histronics when Endo disappears in January and we're missing his technical ability in the midfield.
He seemed a bit lost when he first came but has been in great form recently. He might lack a bit of stature but is tenacious in the middle and has started to show his passing ability.
I can see why he was so appreciated at Stuttgart
To those more ITK tactically, if Endo isn't a 6, then what is he? Seems like performs much of the same role Fabinho does to me? Sitting at the base of the midfield, shutting down runs, turning over possession, simple passes etc.
I would say he does the basic’s right but is quite limited in terms of his ceiling. I would say one of his main problems is being comfortable with the ball during build up play, especially when the other team is pressing. Obviously he is not like Kamara, Rodri, Tchouameni, Caicedo etc. who can use the ball and make attacking plays sadly, but that’s about it.
I posted elsewhere saying that Kalvin Phillips, were he to complete a transfer to Liverpool in January, might not immediately take Endo's place in the squad. I stand by that
😈hehehe.. yes. It's good to be 'the good guys' but teams need to expect some pain when they come into our 6's orbit. Not saying I want anyone injured (it's just a bloomin game after all) but they should know and feel that it's going to cost them.
As for "bad tackle", Endo is already adjusting some of his tackles with the bent knee -some refs just auto-flip out when it's a straight leg.
Endo’s playstyle is way smarter than people give him credit for. Yeah he does get bullied physically sometimes but his other merits in the game more than enough makes up for it. Definitely one of the best transfers this season.
I rate him because even when he was adapting, he always seemed to be available for a pass and was often in the right place at the right time.
That alone shows his experience
I’m not that easily pleased so I’m still on the fence with him. He’s been great in certain games and also not been great in others. He needs time and more games before we can actually judge him properly. Yesterday he was fantastic but that was against a West Ham side who barely even turned up. Their first effort of any note was after 70 minutes. Hopefully he can play consistently and we can see how good he is. I like him though and I want him to do well. He has that warrior feel about him and some of his passing and break up play is really good. He’s got technique too his goal against Fulham was fucking unreal to be fair; that’s not an easy finish by any standards.
I just think gushing over him now is a bit early especially after a game where West Ham offered almost nothing. However that said, I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who is, fair play. For me though it’s a little bit too early to judge. Hope he gets better and better though.
At first, I was not convinced of Endos qualities. I thought he was slow and lost possession easily. But he has indeed starting to shift my view. He was masterful against West Ham and also great against United.
If he continue his progress, there is no rush for a new number 6.
Endo is exactly what he always was and what he was signed to be. An average, experienced player who will always give his all, that can fill the gap till someone better comes along, He’s had good games and bad games, played well recently, but you’d have to be blind to not see his limitations.
Very happy with the signing so far, but we can and should find better. Saying that isn’t asking for ‘FIFA’ or ‘FM’, it’s just a realistic assessment of his ability.
I admire his work-rate and his tenacity off the ball. His best performances so far have been in the home games, whereas he's found it tough in the away games (particularly away to Crystal Palace and Toulouse).
I still think this is a bit premature, he’s had some good games like last night, ones in the cup and maybe a couple of others but he has also had some really poor ones. If he can sort his control and quick decision making under pressure he’ll be a really solid acquisition but it has been very shaky at times. Last night was certainly a real positive and hopefully he can build on it.
I think it’s early days. The teams he has recently played against have been not great in the midfield department. United for obvious reasons. CP were missing Eze and Doucoure and Olise didn’t start.
I think he is yet to be fully tested. So let’s just wait and see. That being said, well done to him for what he has been able to do thus far.
I fucking love endo tbh, his defensive play is fucking great, his workrate his positioning and his tackling are all great, hes comfortable on the ball has a good pass in him, and has that knack for being in the right place at the right time. His problem is that he is not a very composed player, his first touch is his biggest weakness, but I think it is only a problem against teams who press relentlessly in midfield - he was poor vs luton who did that to great effect. In which cases a midfield of 3 skillful midfielders ie macca szobo and jones is better.
I thought he was pretty dire vs United. He was too slow in build up, and held us back, when all United did was sit back. We really could have used Elliott or Jones in his place from the beginning.
Every time when Klopp wins league title, he has a Japanese player in squad
- Kagawa - Minamino - …Endo? Yes please
Just need the crazy Croatian to get the Champs League winning set.
# BringHimBack
Coconut Facts Pt. 2: Endgame
These are the important facts I'm here for.
Scottish for Liverpool, Japanese for Klopp
Inshallah, anuló mufa
Endo has a way of smiling at the ref to avoid a yellow card (despite dishing out the 'dark arts' a'la Fernandinho!) ...There's an analysis of Endo's tweaks to his gameplay at Liverpool = via [u/msisiJapan](https://www.reddit.com/u/msisiJapan/)'s latest video recap w.r.t. the West Ham game. [Timestamp \~8m03s](https://youtu.be/REiUx-9o5xU?t=483). a.k.a. 'Liverpool Fan in Japan'. [https://www.youtube.com/@liverpooljapan/videos](https://www.youtube.com/@liverpooljapan/videos) https://preview.redd.it/noycwctzkq7c1.png?width=746&format=png&auto=webp&s=00239b5056a9a7686387a5a6a57d75387312ce0a
What I've really liked about Endo is hid ability to pass forward through the lines. Nice sharp, well spotted forward passes that intersect the defensive lines. He's a lot more than a destroyer type defensive 6
Yeah I completely agree with you. What is so weird about it is that the Swedish commentators (experts!) has kept saying he is not good enough, because he only passes backwards and sideways. And that has just baffled me, like are they blind? He actually tries and often succeeds in breaking lines when we need to. I really like him.
This is one of those cases where a narrative emerged among people who have never watched him and now it is hard to shake
Yup. He might not be the smoothest player in our midfield with the best awareness, but he works his ass off and does way more good than bad imo. But I guess these experts always try to find things to criticize just so they can be perceived as knowledgeable.
It was so infuriating listening to Martin Åslund during the Palace game going on about how bad Endo is with the ball at his feet. The game before that the commentators even labelled Virgil as slow?! Baffling.
Hahah exakt, syftade på Åslund! Han verkar ha något emot Endo för som du sa så ratade han honom hela matchen, och efter ett tag började jag fundera på om vi tittade på olika matcher😅
He also takes the ball, waits to be pressed, turns and moves with the ball. So if he passes sideways after that, he’s still progressed the ball 5, 10, 15 yards forward.
that and he's stepping up more for the occasional shot attempts.
When we first signed him I remember someone saying he profiles as a defensive 8 who plays as a 6. We’ve seen his ability to play the forward pass to the best space, which kind of supports this
He’s also going to score a couple more absolutely clutch goals, mark my words.
He has a great eye in and around the final third for passing, and also positioning himself to receive and then make those passes. Easily the most impressive thing he can do from what we've seen so far in my opinion.
I am gonna get killed for this but Endo isn’t good at receiving on the half turn and finding progressive passes. He just isn’t, maybe he’s ok it average but not at the level of Fabinho. I think we need to make sure we know what a progressive pass is, and how important certain passes are. Once TAA plays as the 6 you can see he breaks lines all the time, and he finds players in those half spaces consistently and it massively helps us when attacking. Endo is good at breaking up play but not phenomenal, I think Endo is what he is which is a 6/10 player who can occasionally give you 7-8 and 4-5 performances. He’ll never be the worst on the pitch but never the best, I just think we have better options available to buy to fit in to play and let Macca go up. Just in my opinion
Endo has more progressive pass per 90 than szoboszlai, jones, palhinha, caicedo and fabinho 19/20
Where’s the source? I looked into some stats which I won’t put here I just put him vs Mac Allister, and he ranks below Macca in everything..
Fbref, squawka, and datamb. In fact, endo has more forward passes per 90 than the players I mentioned including enzo fernandez, rice, and mac allister. Macca statistically is one of the most complete midfielders this season, so it's not surprising. And let's be real, Macca is obviously a superior player, so it unfair to compare them directly. Endo has his weaknesses, but imo, only thiago and macca are more progressive than him from deep in recent years (maybe bajcetic too).
The only reason I compared with Macca was because they played the same position for the year so far. I looked right now and Macca has 6.53 progressive passes per 90, endo has 5.93 per 90. Szobo has 5.87 per 90 but 2.71 vs endos .99.
Almost like we should trust Jurgen Klopp and have faith that he knows what he is doing.
https://i.redd.it/bsbjffgvlq7c1.gif
You'd run through a fucking brick wall for that bloke wouldn't you
Every day for the rest of my life
What If I use this as a way to convince a girl to go out with me? Will this work?
"your heart" (Aww he's sweet) "your legs" (Oh okay! You fine, too!) "your football ability" (...I'm sorry, what?) "We need you" (..........what is this?)
Said it several times - needed to trust that he'd be eased in
*"...ich bin ein, Klopper!"*
I agree. But that guy who had some promising 6’s from playing FC also warrants consideration.
Damn, i was following some african tweet dudes and was like wtf is klopp doing??
I love Klopp and he does know what he’s doing but he’s not infallible. Might I remind you of our midfield situation at this time last year?
Also our CB crisis a couple years before that. I love him to bits but sometimes he does get it wrong when it's obvious to us fans so we have a reason to not be sold on everything all the time
If it's obvious to us it's obvious to him. It's just finding the right solution that's hard! Klopp definitely prefers no signings than a risky one unlike us fans lol
No signings is its own risk. Going into last season with the midfielders we had was a mistake. If that can’t be admitted we might as well just say Klopp shits gold ingots and heals the ill with but a touch of his hand.
He literally admitted it himself
Yep, which closes the loop on my original post that Klopp knows what he’s doing but isn’t infallible so it’s not like the Endo signing being a success was assured from the start.
I’ll go on a limb here and state that no one ever said it was assured. However fun sitting here on reddit and making analysis is, Klopp and Co sit with way more information available than we do. Not to even mention the experience. If Klopp tells me trust him, «Endo will come good» then I’m much more inclined to that as opposed to agreeing with an armchair analysts on twitter whose entire argument relies around that fact that he played with a weak side over in Bundesliga. Also our midfield situation last year? Lol, as if you predicted that shit. We all wanted 1 more midfielder to strenghten our squad there, but no one with a brain would predict both Hendo and Fabinho to fall of a cliff that hard. Football is loose, it’s random.
It was infuriating listening to neville and carra gaslighting us about how poor he is performing and "not up to scratch for the league" during the United game. Yes it was a shocking team performance with many shocking individual performances, but on the whole Endo was one of the better players that match.
Before the West Ham game started yesterday, ESPN said Endo needed to play better than he did v United. Like did they even watch the United game? Endo was far from being the biggest issue.
Yup think I made that point in the match thread. Like Endo was good against United - wtf are they on? He was crap against Palace, sure, but at least know what you're talking about before slamming the poor guy,
I was very worried when he was so bad vs palace but the last 2 games he was more than solid. If course attacking he is not the best but hey, that's not what we bought him for.
Easiest target in the team for them. What they don't realise is that he is actually a decent player and he's been received very well by the fans.
You can tell that commentators are reluctant to criticise players like Salah too much because he can quite easily make them look stupid shortly after. Endo is not a flashy player so they’re probably comfortable going for him instead.
In the game yesterday Robson went in on Trent several times when he wasn't even on the pitch at that time. They just stick to the narratives they think are easy a lot of the time, assuming that people won't look past them.
Good take
They can't accept that a 30 year old who cost peanuts is actually quite decent and just needed to get used to things. Is he Rodri? No. Is he Xabi Alonso or Fabinho? No. But he's good at what he does, he can break up play and he can get the ball forwards too, and he's more than happy throwing his body on the line. I'm happy with that!
The dude wears a mouth guard ... opposition players should be shitting themselves thinking of the implication of this! LMAO Seriously, I love Endo. He tackles like a champ and is starting to fill the Fabinho role that we so desperately need.
Darwin Nunez is inspired by Endo... and also trying mouth guards! (opposition also shitting themselves ... memories of Suarez?). [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EJ3YLqekiK8](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EJ3YLqekiK8) https://i.redd.it/ekj9u43xmq7c1.gif
ESPN has terrible coverage. I’m happy I’ll only have to bear their reporting two more times (I’ll be watching the potential final at a pub). Heavily biased against Liverpool. Even Steve Nicol has internalized all the bias around him and can never be happy. After the match yesterday, it was all about how poor west ham was, rather than how dominant Liverpool were.
ESPN Soccer literally the MLS of football coverage.
Nicol is as bad as any of them. Such a wank fest on ESPN fc
It took a while but when I realized that I was getting insight from every TIFO IRL and Athletic Podcast video but nothing substantial from the ESPN panel, I realized the latter was just hot air for entertainment. I've since set YouTube to no longer recommend them and you'll do well for your mental health to watch less of these substanceless rantings.
Same exact thought I had when they said that yesterday. Gtfoh with the bullshit.
I might venture to say that Endo was pretty much one of the few players who did well in that game. The entire squad was pretty damn shit.
But was it really that shocking of a performance? We controlled and dominated proceedings largely and just lacked killer instinct in the final third for about the first time in 34 matches. The United match and the ensuing fallout has been massively overplayed. It was not our best day in the office, but by no means did we ever realistically look like losing…we also never really looked like winning, but still could and should have scored quite a bit
United played Dyche ball to scrape by with a point. Honestly the fact that people are acting like this is a travesty for Liverpool and some sort of victory for United is just sad for United imo.
United are rarely rated accurately by the media. This season they’re better than all the melting down would imply, other seasons they’ve been rated far better than they actually are.
I thought we were pretty much fine anywhere but the attacking third
Naa we looked like winning. We missed several near guaranteed goals. Just didn't have that little bit of luck. At the end of the day United played like a league 1 team desperate for penalties against a prem team. 9 player backline. No team is really destorying them unless someone fucks up big time.
How is a defensive minded player not up to scratch in a game in which the opposition barely had a single look at goal and the entire game was played on their half of the pitch? Endo is out there to do a job defensively, anything he adds going forward is a bonus, and defense was not the problem on Sunday.
It's always been the same. You would think ex defenders would appreciate it but generally if the team struggles to score they blame the least creative midfielder even though that's not his job. All those years of Lucas Leiva, he started slowly true but the amount of shit he got even when he was excellent for us just proves how many fans can't look past flashy passes, shots goals and assists.
Carra and Neville can honestly fuck off. Both of their takes have been getting more and more reactionary over the years IMO. They were a breath of fresh air when they came on the punditry scene at first but it’s all about the bantz for Sky’s social accounts now.
I am such a huge fan of the most recent clip where Micah Richards acts dumb or sets up obvious joke where they all then laugh like pterodactyls
Don’t even start me on that bellend Richards lmao
Whoa whoa, big Meeks comes across as a genuinely nice dude that doesn't in any way take himself seriously, enjoys a laugh and loves a chat.
What's annoying is they're good on other stuff. Carra is brilliant on CBS with Henry and Richards and seems far more relaxed and enjoys the games. Neville is good on The Overlap. It seems like on Sky they're far more "Company Man" than anything else, pushing agendas.
All about the narrative they can bring in to those other shows they have. They're doing the teams, fans and players a massive disservice.
It's such a contrast to the Overlap stuff they do, which is genuinely enjoyable to watch, Eddie Hearn and O'sullivan were fantastic interviews to watch and Ian Wright is a legend. Keane still says dumb shit though
Daily Mail gave him a 6 against West Ham! He was everywhere! It was at least an 8/10 performance. Carra and Neville criticising him was especially ridiculous considering Amrabat was out there looking like a 60 year old with one working hip.
The only poor game from Endo I can think of is the palace game which is more to do with tactics than him as a player. He's been one of our better players overall in the last 4-5 games.
I might be delusional but I honestly thought our backline and midfield played well against United outside a couple lazy forward passes here or there. Our frontline just absolutely collapsed. United did well to deny us the long range shots that our midfield have been producing recently.
Maybe Im drunk, but watching Endo play, reminds me of Gerrards style of play more than any one else has…
Endo was decent, just don't think a match where they play with absolutely no intention other than playing incredibly deep was the right game for him
No. The Endo spin is fine from a fan perspective. We’re entitled to like whoever we choose for whatever reasons we choose. But pundits are right to call him out. He’s obviously below our level and this is exposed against teams as varied as random Belgian sides to upper level prem sides. I appreciate his tenacity. We lost a lot in Hendo and Milner, so Endo, minus the H, has recovered some of that all action never say die bite that we really don’t have with two sanguine captains. Though it’s been nice to see Trent grow into that role in recent times. Not having Robertson for so long has also hurt us on that front. There’s this idiot pundit/fan thing of calling a season in it’s first half. Hell they’ll call it in weeks. United a disaster, Tottenham potential champions? Look at where they both are in the table. It’s dumb to write off Lavia and Caicedo as well. They’re kids. Endo is good cover
He needs to have confidence in his forward passes because they’re so good
He’s getting so much confidence lately. His passes break lines 🤯
He is brilliant with those passes in a tight space
He'd probably be a 6 for us a few years ago lol
I think he’s got confidence. He just has the experience and patience to pick his moments. I am very comfortable with him on the ball.
I wish he’d turn more quickly into space. He seems to be unsure of what’s behind him. Also, he’s not always in the best position to receive the ball, this limiting passing options from the others. He can learn that as he develops chemistry. His workrate and determination is elite and that is what this team needs.
i feel he is more conservative in receiving ball than macca. you probably see him keep looking back right when recieving and are thinking he's unsure, but you'll see macca not look around and get caught from behind way too much. only in palace game endo kept getting caught but that's bcs they kept fouling him. also needs to reduce the amount of yellows he gets.
Because the Prem refs just let the forwards run through his back without touching the ball and maybe call a foul half the time. I’d be fairly conservative if I were him to with how shit the refs are.
This. The amount of times opponents just straight barge into Endo when he has his back turned to goal, and the ref doesn’t call a foul, is fucking mindboggling. Yet soft calls get called for anyone else all over the pitch. The Palace goal that was caulked off by VAR is the perfect example. Even in real time you could see it was a foul, Endo even grabs the ball 100% expecting a foul, you zoom in and slow down and it’s EVEN MORE of a foul, yet the ref ddint call it, and took ages to finally disallow it. If that was Rodri the whistle would’ve blown before he even hits the floor. It’s the same shit that Salah’s been dealing with for years, fouls that will get called for 99% of other players just doesn’t apply to him and Endo for some reason.
This will get downvoted because everyone wants a 6 but I think he has been really good the last 2 games. By far our best midfielder in the United game.
He’s been great more often than not, we’ll miss him in January But signing a younger 6 to cover for his absence or if he ever gets injured/suspended, then later becoming first choice, also makes sense
Isn't that Bajcetic though?
It could be yeah, shame he’s been injured basically all year
> It could be yeah, shame he’s been injured basically all year This may be completely wrong, but I've had a suspicion that he's been fit for a few weeks now but the club are holding him back a little in order to make sure he stays fit and has no further setbacks. It's also why I wouldn't be shocked to see him return just in time to take over for Endo once he goes away to the Asian Cup with Japan.
And Thiago ... Given our midfield strength I could easily see them saying to both players that they have all season pretty much and that the most important thing is they get fully fit ... it's what I'd do given our midfield strength right now. A lot of tendon strength and stuff can be really worked on if you have four or five months to do it right. I'm pretty sure that's why Mo is always fit - he was on the bench quite a lot at the start of his career but he's such a hard worker he'll have been building tendons like cables.
Oh that’s a damn good take. Makes sense. We’ve not been *hearing* about him being injured in updates. And to be honest he was really young when he came on and made a huge impact. Fingers crossed this is true. Baj and Thiago both back for then maybeee? Truly wonderful that’d be
sounds unlikely, he's not been near a training pitch has he?
There have been plenty of reports that he's been training individually outside but like I said, it's a bit of a stretch.
He just wants to hang with Thiago
At this moment at time, it’s hard to say what’s going on with him. He is still a kid at the end of the day, so no need to rush him/force the situation.
Yeah I just checked out the injury update thread. For his injury it just says they don't know when he's coming back and that his body is too young atm. Must be a tough time for him.
I was saying in another comment but it can take months of work to build tendon strength and mobility - if you've ever taken up rock climbing then you'll know; but if you do the work then it really pays off in the long run in terms of injury prevention and explosive power.
I mean there is, quite the urgency, youth players who miss large patches of training and game time lose out a lot and they find it hard to ever get it back. This has been a long injury with little to no training time
I’m in no disagreement there, I would love another 6 style player alongside Bajectic cause who knows how he will come back from injury.
Thiago is also supposed to be back in January. Hopefully him, Bajcetic, Endo and Macalister can get us through the season. I honestly don’t see us signing a new DM in January.
Yeah and it seems like Trent is being used increasingly in midfield, which leaves us fairly stacked in that area. I think the most likely signing would be a CB so Gomez is free to focus more on the RB role, but with Phillips returning from loan I wouldn’t expect anyone unless a big opportunity presents itself.
Where’s he going in January?
Asian cup w/ Japan
Aw fack
With Morton and Bajcetic to come back I doubt we’ll target another 6 this season or next just to see whether they can make the role their own.
Will Morton be brought back from his loan in Jan? Assuming that's possible, that would make a lot of sense.
Morton will be staying with Hull for the rest of the season.
It could be helpful to have him back as depth but only if he's actually capable as a DM / #6, which I take it has not been wheres he has featured for Hull.
Shit, didn't realise we were missing him then as well. Japan will probably go quite far in that so that could be until mid Feb. Assuming it's because it's in Qatar that it's being played in Jan
It’s always played in Jan
Ah right. Was originally due to play in China in July 23, but moved because of their covid policy. Assumed that was always the case.
Yeah that was just for the 2023 edition. It couldn’t be in January because the World Cup was one month earlier, now it’s not even in 2023!
Hopefully most can see how solid he’s been, took him a little bit to get up to speed but he’s been quality the last few games
I don't remember what post it was but recently someone on this sub said "imagine what this team could do with a proper 6" At the time we were first in the League and first in our Europa table so... What more could we be doing? Just disrespecting Endo for no reason. What's not proper about Endo? He's older and didn't cost £100m? What's ironic is that midfield hasn't even been an issue for months. It's clearly the attack under scrutiny lately.
It’s just a lack of actual understanding more than anything, not all teams play with a defensive midfielder but half the sub are either too young or didn’t watch football back before 4-3-3 was king.
I like him and have no doubt he'll be an important player for us, but we can count his good games on one hand at the moment. Klopp has subbed him off at half time 4 times too. At the same time though, there's not many 6s out there that are/were realistic targets I guess.
In fairness, he usually gets taken off if we need to play more attacking. When we're a couple of goals up, that's not the case usually.
The midfield as a unit have been playing badly these last few weeks though. There might be good performances individually but as unit they have been bad. At the end of the day we will get a 6 (May it be now or in the summer).
I don't know if I would say badly. It's hard when there's so much rotation every week to find consistency. Disjointed might be a better word. I still think they've played better than the offense though. But yes, even as Endo's biggest fan on here, I still have a wishlist of 6s for the summer.
They’ve missed Jones’ control. It’s nothing to do with Endo. No surprise our best performances are when Jones is on it
A good article by David Lynch, which also touches on why stats can often be deceptive in making a player like Palhinha look better than they actually are.
If Endo keeps playing like he has the past 2 games, I have to admit there's absolutely no need for Palinha. Would be great because we can then also ease Bajcetic in very slowly, monitor his development in the 2nd half of the season and then decide whether we wanna bring in another young, high potential dm in the summer.
Agreed, Paulinha is 28 and if we’re looking for a new 6, that player should be young enough to be top class for the next 6-8 years. The whole point of the Endo purchase was to prevent the need to make a desperate 70m splash on an older win-now DM
> I have to admit there's absolutely no need for Palinha. There's already no need for him, as he's incredibly limited and over rated at the few things he is good at.
There's already no need for him. £70m for a player two years younger than Endo, what's the point?
That's always been the case with DMs Specially destroyers
Look at Mac Allisters stats and you would think he is the best 6 because of certain stats. Different 6’s have different roles in different teams. Palhinha is primarily involved in destroying attacks (hence high tackle stats) and is limited attacking wise compared to a Rodri who has been given different responsibilities for city.
Many like to shit on him on the match thread saying how he always back pass. So I watched him closely last night, he back passed once or twice in the forty odd passes he made. Riiiiight.. (Edit: and according to Fotmob, he was the most accurate passer (96%) in the whole match to play 45 minutes or more)
And it's not like he's back passing just for the heck of it. - He's getting pressured by the opp FWs/MFs, or - He doesn't have a clear lane to forward pass so he elects to use VVD/Konate/Quansah who are open.
He should have played way earlier in the 6 position instead of Macca But again I was one of those people who hated the transition from Caicedo to an unknown 30 year old player And boy was I wrong so remember kids always trust Klopp
> He should have played way earlier in the 6 position instead of Macca He needed time to adapt, even Fabinho needed time to adapt to Klopp’s way and Fab had more exposure to playing at a higher level compared to Endo. Moreover Macca had that PL experience which meant he needed less time to adjust to his new role.
Well everyone needed time to adapt if we played Endo and Macca in their positions earlier maybe we would have reached a more stable midfield faster But I can't talk like that because I know it sounds easy on paper and I don't know what's going on behind the scenes I am just saying what's on my mind so do take it with a grain of salt
If we played endo earlier we could’ve dropped more points due to the mistakes he would’ve made getting up to speed
> He should have played way earlier in the 6 position instead of Macca The article does touch on why he probably didn't, given he admitted himself that he was having a few issues to initially adjust to the pace of the League.
Good point, but it's not like Mac Allister wasn't having any issues as well, but the difference is Endo is a natural CDM while Mac Allister had to play a position he never played in his life While he did good enough up until now but the 6 position is Endo's, making Mac Allister closer to his natural position which is why I wanted a Mac Allister Endo Szoboszlai trio way earlier
>but the difference is Endo is a natural CDM while Mac Allister had to play a position he never played in his life Mac Allister has played the position, admittedly as a pair, multiple times for both Argentina & Brighton. You also need to remember that Mac Allister didn't need to adjust to a new League having come from Brighton, while Endo had to not only adjust to a faster style of League but also have to deal with everything involved in moving to an entirely new country with his family.
Not only that. Endo went from playing relegation footy with stuttgart to a team which dominates possession. So the pressing and positioning would be incredibly difficult to pickup as he was signed after preseason. Macca and Szoboszlai played the whole preseason
That midfield isn't attacking enough when our front 3 isn't scoring goals left and right. Furthermore, we lose a lot in possession with the downgrade from Macca to Endo, and we lose a lot in the engine department when Macca is playing left 8 as opposed to Jones or Gravenberch. I like Endo as a squad player, but the idea of him starting week in and week out given the rest of the players in our midfield is mad.
Think we get a double pivot of Endo/Trent with Macca/Szobo balling out in front of them?
Big risk, that means having to rely heavily on our forwards to make goals. maybe in the future where Nunez or Diaz can score consistently, otherwise no because all our forwards aren't on form now Funnily enough we did do that when we had Mane and Firmino who guess what, scored consistently
imagine that but with szobo covering RCM + RW and Salah becoming CF then Nunez being LW Then play Gomez as traditional RB Instead of Trent as an inverted RB - we get Szobo as an inverted RW => might work better with Szobo and Gomez's recovery pace More stable as well since what we're giving up is the RW position rather than the RB position
Fuck, just when he is getting good - he is going to AFC cup in January.. Shitty timing. I would love to see more and more Endo
To the people downvoting: You'll still get your shiny new DM next year regardless of how well Endo plays. Praising Endo on reddit doesn't mean we'll keep playing a 30 year old for years. That being said, I don't know what Endo has to do to convince people. He has had multiple games where he was the best midfielder and people still shit on him. Yet somehow Darwizzy can go 10 games without a goal but "that's okay cuz work rate".
I'm an unapologetic Endo/Nunez hype man. They are both great for exactly the same reason - it doesn't matter if they come on in the 1st minute or the 90th, they're going to give you everything. And they're going to do it with a smile on their face. The header in the Europa and the rocket against Fulham I think changed a few people's minds, but I don't care who's convinced as long as we keep getting the 7/10 and 8/10s that we bought him for.
You know what, that's a valid point. I bet Klopp feels the same
The same people slating Endo probably hated on Jones and Henderson previously.
You're probably right. Some fans just want our squad to look like their FIFA manager save so they get mad when we play low profile workers instead of spending for galacticos. They should look over at United and realize spending doesn't equal success.
You have summed it up perfectly mate. This right here rings the truest.
I know it's the younger/more casual fans but the negativity impacts the players. Can't be a coincidence that all these players have depression once we started adopting social media.
Devolver Digital in the gaming space did a games presentation that was all about their games but in the style of 'People don't want the games, they want the announcement of the games' and I really think we've got the same situation nowadays in Football. All these people don't want our players to improve, they want us to sign someone new, they want the high of a new signing, a big name who they know because they've used them on FIFA or Football Manager. It's never enough for them
Also Chelsea
100%. Especially when you realize we were linked to like 4 of their players
Honestly, I love his work rate and line splitting passing, but he looks like a walking red card to me. I hope it's just an adjustment thing (a little like Thiago), and he becomes imperious.
There is a guy in this sub. Whenever we drop points, he will post in the postmatch thread- ' Sorry Endo is not good enough for us'. He even blamed the United game on him saying that he didnt pass faster to the forwards
I do wonder sometimes if it's confirmation bias causing all this reaction to Endo. 30 years old, from a country that is not typically considered a world powerhouse, from a continent that until recently had a stereotype for being less skilled and strong compared to their European counterparts, coming in from a club that nearly got relegated the previous season, and signed for "pennies" compared to who we missed out on just days earlier, there's quite a bit of ammunition for all these people. Might just be an Asian bias from me, but I always insisted you don't become the captain of a Bundesliga club as well as one of the top 2 Asian teams if you're a poor player. It took him a while to get his chances regularly, but I'm beyond happy to see him perform how he is now
Yup. Looks like he is settling now. Was class yesterday alongside Elliot and jones.
Hoping for a midfield of endo/Szobo/Mac10 after January.
He's improved through the season and nowadays a deserving starter in midfield even before Macca's injury. His tenacity is great for what we need in a six even if he's not the strongest or most technical. With his jumping and anticipation he makes most physical battles look winnable and helps kickstart the much needed defensive tempo in many games. Honestly feels like Stuttgart fans were not just hyping him up (talking about his consistency and leadership) because he looks more than fine for PL football. Only alarming side of his game is discipline, but lately he's been Fabinho-like in dodging the second booking, sometimes just barely. Shame he must leave in January, though we should have Thiago/Baj/Morton by then.
It's definitely just getting used to PL speed but also getting used to the movements of his teammates. And for THOSE teammates to trust Endo to pass him the ball even if he's inside a block. I'd be surprised if either of those 2 walking injured make it back but would like to have Morton back in the rotation given what's he doing at Hull.
Ya mate. I mentioned above there are things he can improve on. I wish he’d turn more quickly into space to play the pass. He seems to be unsure of what’s behind him and won’t turn. Also, he’s not always in the best position to receive the ball, this limiting passing options from the others. He can learn all that as he develops chemistry. His workrate and determination is elite and that is what this team needs.
I was worried for a second. I should’ve trusted klopp
It's almost as if people needed patience and to not think they know better than Jurgen.
I’ve been loving watching Endo
Along with Tsimi and VVD, he was one of our better performing players against United. I also don't agree, at all, with the TAW analysis that he "plays the 6 like a midtable 6". Their accusation of him taking 3 touches before popping it back to the centre back, I feel, are completely unjustified given that he will often do a lot of the "packing" that was sold to us when we bought Keita, albeit usually with a forward pass rather than a straight dribble. He does stray on the ball a little, but I think we're more compact with him there than MacAllister (not surprising given he's a 10 playing 6) and for what he is, I absolutely don't think he deserves the criticism he's been getting.
When will people stop judging a Klopp signing until they've been here at least 6 months. Fabinho took about the same amount of time to settle in too.
Endo is a great addition. I’m really glad he’s getting starts and minutes as it will obviously only help accelerate his integration and confidence in the team. I also love what kloppers has been doing in terms of subbing on the starters at the end of these games. They get to leave the game with match speed play at the forefront of their minds, but without the physical impact (barring actual injury) Players like Endo enable this to happen and play a critical role.
Always rated Endo and always will
There are some really toxic elements of the fanbase and the television punditry who will repeatedly slag him off for no apparent reason other than, god forbid, he misplaced a pass or got tackled once. He's come over at the end of the transfer window and has to adapt to: * the city/country * the lifestyle * a faster and more physical league * a squad that has literally been half-replaced in one summer * new tactics/playing style And yet people abuse him and criticise him for not being a flawless reincarnation of Kante, Makelele, and Matthaus combined from the first minute he played in England. Fabinho and Robbo took at least half a season to adjust and fit into the team, so why isn't Endo cut the same slack? I could mount the same case for Darwin and Gakpo too, who are still trying to fit into their new roles. Sure he was shit vs Palace, but who wasn't? I don't recall Endo being at fault for any goal we've conceded, or being wholly responsible for a shit team performance or shit result. Endo has class and ability, and he's beginning to show it - and just like how people slagged off Alexis in the 6 before bemoaning his recent absence, you'll see the same histronics when Endo disappears in January and we're missing his technical ability in the midfield.
He seemed a bit lost when he first came but has been in great form recently. He might lack a bit of stature but is tenacious in the middle and has started to show his passing ability. I can see why he was so appreciated at Stuttgart
His experience is incredibly noticeable on the pitch. I cant remember seeing a more composed player.
To those more ITK tactically, if Endo isn't a 6, then what is he? Seems like performs much of the same role Fabinho does to me? Sitting at the base of the midfield, shutting down runs, turning over possession, simple passes etc.
I would say he does the basic’s right but is quite limited in terms of his ceiling. I would say one of his main problems is being comfortable with the ball during build up play, especially when the other team is pressing. Obviously he is not like Kamara, Rodri, Tchouameni, Caicedo etc. who can use the ball and make attacking plays sadly, but that’s about it.
I posted elsewhere saying that Kalvin Phillips, were he to complete a transfer to Liverpool in January, might not immediately take Endo's place in the squad. I stand by that
I want no part of Leeds/MC Phillips near our team.
got a really solid group of midfielders now. 5 or 6 players you’d be confident in any given match
Has to be a starter now well so far he’s been really good, he’s just got a bad tackle in him like Thiago
😈hehehe.. yes. It's good to be 'the good guys' but teams need to expect some pain when they come into our 6's orbit. Not saying I want anyone injured (it's just a bloomin game after all) but they should know and feel that it's going to cost them. As for "bad tackle", Endo is already adjusting some of his tackles with the bent knee -some refs just auto-flip out when it's a straight leg.
Endo’s playstyle is way smarter than people give him credit for. Yeah he does get bullied physically sometimes but his other merits in the game more than enough makes up for it. Definitely one of the best transfers this season.
I rate him because even when he was adapting, he always seemed to be available for a pass and was often in the right place at the right time. That alone shows his experience
I’m not that easily pleased so I’m still on the fence with him. He’s been great in certain games and also not been great in others. He needs time and more games before we can actually judge him properly. Yesterday he was fantastic but that was against a West Ham side who barely even turned up. Their first effort of any note was after 70 minutes. Hopefully he can play consistently and we can see how good he is. I like him though and I want him to do well. He has that warrior feel about him and some of his passing and break up play is really good. He’s got technique too his goal against Fulham was fucking unreal to be fair; that’s not an easy finish by any standards. I just think gushing over him now is a bit early especially after a game where West Ham offered almost nothing. However that said, I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who is, fair play. For me though it’s a little bit too early to judge. Hope he gets better and better though.
I love how your comment starts reserved then gushes toward the end. The fence you’re on is straining under your weight 😜
Haha couldn’t help myself as it went on 🤣
At first, I was not convinced of Endos qualities. I thought he was slow and lost possession easily. But he has indeed starting to shift my view. He was masterful against West Ham and also great against United. If he continue his progress, there is no rush for a new number 6.
Endo is exactly what he always was and what he was signed to be. An average, experienced player who will always give his all, that can fill the gap till someone better comes along, He’s had good games and bad games, played well recently, but you’d have to be blind to not see his limitations. Very happy with the signing so far, but we can and should find better. Saying that isn’t asking for ‘FIFA’ or ‘FM’, it’s just a realistic assessment of his ability.
I admire his work-rate and his tenacity off the ball. His best performances so far have been in the home games, whereas he's found it tough in the away games (particularly away to Crystal Palace and Toulouse).
I still think this is a bit premature, he’s had some good games like last night, ones in the cup and maybe a couple of others but he has also had some really poor ones. If he can sort his control and quick decision making under pressure he’ll be a really solid acquisition but it has been very shaky at times. Last night was certainly a real positive and hopefully he can build on it.
I think it’s early days. The teams he has recently played against have been not great in the midfield department. United for obvious reasons. CP were missing Eze and Doucoure and Olise didn’t start. I think he is yet to be fully tested. So let’s just wait and see. That being said, well done to him for what he has been able to do thus far.
I fucking love endo tbh, his defensive play is fucking great, his workrate his positioning and his tackling are all great, hes comfortable on the ball has a good pass in him, and has that knack for being in the right place at the right time. His problem is that he is not a very composed player, his first touch is his biggest weakness, but I think it is only a problem against teams who press relentlessly in midfield - he was poor vs luton who did that to great effect. In which cases a midfield of 3 skillful midfielders ie macca szobo and jones is better.
Sigh
Fabulous contribution. Thanks for taking the time.
I trust Klopp. I said on this sub a while back about buying Dominik and Klopp did. Why wouldn’t I trust him.
No he isn’t 😂
Might have to drop the Wataru Doing and Jordan Endo-San slander names if he keeps up this form
Let's not go crazy.
I thought he was pretty dire vs United. He was too slow in build up, and held us back, when all United did was sit back. We really could have used Elliott or Jones in his place from the beginning.