Wataru Endo Welcome to Liverpool

[Jimmy Hills Chin]

4 minutes ago, TheDrowningMan said:

At first, I thought we’d signed someone who, at this stage in his career, seemed closer to a Championship player than one who’d end up being an outstanding part of a Premier League title challenge. I was completely and utterly wrong, of course.

I’m pretty sure there weren’t many who were right.

[lebron]

He’s been absolutely phenomenal. Playing to his best level in every game. There might still be games where we’ll need to set up an even more attacking midfield (Sczobo, Macca, Jones), but what a signing he has been! Probably up there with our best value-for-money deals we have ever done.

[Barrington Womble]

10 minutes ago, stringvest said:

Dominant.  Klopp was right what he said about him today.

What did klopp say? I thought he really struggled 1st half, especially when they were moving the ball quickly early on. Had a cracking 2nd half though. 

[Anubis]

Think 1st 20 minutes he was letting KDB drop in the space behind him and in front of the defence, and was getting bypassed. After he adjusted we slowly got control of the game.

[Tarwater]

As usual, he was among our best three. We’d probably have no chance today without him and Mac Allister.

[TheHowieLama]

6 minutes ago, Tarwater said:

As usual, he was among our best three. We’d probably have no chance today without him and Mac Allister.

 

Agree - our #8 has gone off the boil second half of the season here.

[Kevin D]

Best team in Europe who have routinely dominated our midfield, even at Anfield.

 

This was a serious test and he was outstanding. De Bruyne is their best player and he doesn’t get subbed off when they need a result.

 

Big performance.

[stringvest]

1 minute ago, Kevin D said:

Best team in Europe who have routinely dominated our midfield, even at Anfield.

 

This was a serious test and he was outstanding. De Bruyne is their best player and he doesn’t get subbed off when they need a result.

 

Big performance.

 

yep.  Once the game settled down, Endo was winning the ball from their midfield for fun.  Guardiola didn't like it so pulled De Bruyne.

[KMD7]

He was incredible today again. We have a serious midfield with him and Macca running it. 

[Barrington Womble]

1 hour ago, TheHowieLama said:

 

Agree - our #8 has gone off the boil second half of the season here.

To be fair, he's barely played in 2024. He just needs some games now. Today came too soon for him. For once, there's a chance international duty might be good for us where he's concerned. 

[Megadrive Man]

Sums it up.

[Barrington Womble]

12 minutes ago, Megadrive Man said:

Sums it up.

After posting negatively on the Elliot thread, I'm going to have to do the same here. The opening part of the game, endo was awful. It's probably his first time he's ever played a game that quick and needed a half game or klopp putting him right at half time to change it up. For me this is where stats just don't help. Because there's no stat for "not getting near de bruyne for 30 minutes". 

 

Like much of our team, endo did well in the 2nd period. First half though, it was all too much for him. 

[SasaS]

I hear that De Bruyne may be pretty good though.

 

Stunning performance from Endo in the second half.

[Kevin D]

42 minutes ago, stringvest said:

 

yep.  Once the game settled down, Endo was winning the ball from their midfield for fun.  Guardiola didn't like it so pulled De Bruyne.

It was the equivalent of convincing Code that Salah needs to be brought off.

[Barrington Womble]

7 minutes ago, SasaS said:

I hear that De Bruyne may be pretty good though.

 

Stunning performance from Endo in the second half.

He is good. Nobody denies that. I'm just saying those stats don't really tell you the story of that 1st half. 

[stringvest]

29 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

He is good. Nobody denies that. I'm just saying those stats don't really tell you the story of that 1st half. 

 

haven't seen the stats, but after 20 minutes, we managed them pretty well I think.  There's no way that the game was 'all too much for him', even in the first half.  Yes, we were bossed in that first part of the game, but as a team we responded really well.

[Barrington Womble]

15 minutes ago, stringvest said:

 

haven't seen the stats, but after 20 minutes, we managed them pretty well I think.  There's no way that the game was 'all too much for him', even in the first half.  Yes, we were bossed in that first part of the game, but as a team we responded really well.

We absolutely did respond well in the 2md half. The first half I thought was split into 2 parts, either side of the goal. For the bit while the game was 0-0, endo was chasing shadows. He might have stats of 4/4 tackles won in the game for example, but for 30 minutes when we needed a tackle, he wasn't close enough to make one. Once they scored, the game changed - strangely for them, they almost seemed to decide they could hold on from there and the time wasting and trying to take the pace out of the game began..which was weird because most of the pace came from them. If they'd have kept their foot on our throats, I don't think we'd have got back in the game, but they didn't and the point becomes.moot. 2nd half for sure we fought back and were the best side. Endo and several others played a part in that. I'm not saying endo was shit. I'm just saying he was given the run around for a large part of the game. Credit to him he found a way to improve. 

[El Rojo]

[El Dangerous]

 

[Kevin D]

53 minutes ago, El Rojo said:

Belter.

[Dapower]

3 hours ago, Kevin D said:

Belter.

He was fucking brilliant yesterday 

[DJLJ]

A midfielder with a number 3. Still not having that. No matter how good he is.

[Kevin D]

11 minutes ago, DJLJ said:

A midfielder with a number 3. Still not having that. No matter how good he is.

The way the LFC website presents our first XI sequentially, instead of with their positions, annoys me to no end.

[Mathewbet1]

The Endo effect

 

[Barrington Womble]

9 hours ago, Mathewbet1 said:

The Endo effect

 

I think that was far more the Mac Allister effect, they had to try and stop him running the game.