Wataru ENDO: 2025/26

Bar the odd 45 minutes here and there yes, absolute garbage.

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That’s not true.

Don’t know what else to add to that.

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Not necessarily, do you really think Klopp wanted to use Nat and Rhys in defence during our mini collapse after winning the league?

He had to move away from using midfielders at CB because there was nothing positive coming from it, that temporary fix led us to going 3 months unbeaten as we went from 7th to 3rd…we need something similar, whether it be Endo, Chiesa, Ramsay, going 2 up top or whatever.

The garden isn’t rosey and at this moment in time Arne doesn’t have the luxuries to be picky and opt for what he wants/is looking for.

That’s when we had nobody else at CB.

Right now, all of our midfielders apart from Bajcetic (if we even count him) are fit. And it’s not like they’ve all performed so badly that we need Endo.

Right now, I think Jones can threaten Mac’s place when Mac isn’t at 100%. Can be also Gravenberch if he hits a bad spell. All the rest is simply how it should be, really.

The shouts for Endo because of effort and tackling or kicking people is just… not enough of an argument. But I understand that appears in bad times.

Effort alone is not our main issue and (more) effort alone won’t fix it.

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That is not addressing the point being made. Playing Phillips and Williams was not a challenge for us because they were stylistically wrong for the team (like AVB trying to force John Terry into a high defensive line), but because neither are remotely PL caliber players. The problem with Wata is 180 degrees the opposite - he has enough to hold his own in the Prem, in the right circumstance, but in a possession based team who want to play the ball through the congested areas he’d be asked to fill…he’s just not the guy for that.

Picking him now might help us get some results in the short term, but would come at the expense of getting away from the vision Slot has for this team. And other than buying him time, how does that get us closer to Slot figuring out a solution? What does it mean for Slot’s longevity if he is required to dump his vision to get results?

He is not dealing with a short term problem that will be automatically fixed x number of games in the future with the return of the right caliber of players. He is facing a problem of having not been able to get his players to translate into performances what his vision for the team is.

I actually think Wata in possession is underrated if he has time and space he actually picks good passes and can be quite proactive with his passing.

Where he does struggle especially early in games is when he is pressed, but then improves and grows into games.

I remember watching a post match redmen video and Pajak said the same in that Wata’s passing ability is under rated.

I’m not saying he is the answer..

Also, regarding training, I remember hearing that Tevez was awful in training but was the opposite on the pitch where it matters and he isn’t the only one.

PS I don’t condone having a poor attitude to training

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So can I

Alas, this is why I was not a PL player

That’s exactly why he should shuffle the deck. He can’t keep serving the same rancid football week in, week out. He needs time to figure things out, because he is under pressure and he isn’t thinking clearly.

As for his vision, it would be nice to see some vestige of it in because the only discernible thing so far is a mess.

Perfectly understand this, but if players aren’t performing then you need to get them out of the team and bring in an alternative option.

We capitulated after they scored and that cannot be tolerated and maybe we need a bit more grit and determination to stop the slide.

Lastly, we cannot reward Saturday’s performance by keeping predominantly the same players starting as that sends out the wrong message to all the players, there has to be competition for players.

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Klopp said at the time when he came in that all players of his squad were extremely talented players who wouldn’t be at LFC if that wasn’t the case. It was all about organizing and moulding them into a tight-knitted unit, which would help them to find the confidence in order to get the best out of them. That’s exactly what he did, and we know how well it played out.

But in order to do that, you need as a gaffer to trust your players, and let them feel that trust at all times. Klopp was a master in that art to help every player to feel valued, also the bit-part players. Slot? Not sure to be honest.

Endo’s performances have been nose-diving recently, and I wonder whether that’s the price for Slot not showing him the 100% trust Klopp did.

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And Klopp himself had players he didn’t use much…

We don’t know what happens behind the scenes, we see games and a bit of the behaviour in public space.

What should a coach say about a player like Endo other than give him praise, especially if he isn’t playing much, but he behaves professionally and potentially gives his all in training and games.

A few, yes. But either they were players in development with time on their side, or players who had broken the rules he set up for the club (ie. Sakho). One or two were largely ignored, but not many to be honest.

Shaqiri?

The amount of fan shouts for him to be used more…

Not helped by the fact that the lad basically wanted to play the position we didn’t use and was best suited to covering the position of arguably our best player or most productive forward.

Shaqiri is typically the type of player who couldn’t establish himself as a permanent fixture, and could have been frustrated by the situation. Instead of that, he was 100% motivated throughout his spell with us. Why? Because Klopp played him whenever it was possible, and more importantly, let him feel that he was important for the squad, just like all other squad players. That’s how he came to have some really good games for us (ie. Barcelona 4-0).

Had Slot been in charge and hadn’t he rated him, Shaqiri would probably have lost his motivation quite quickly, and started looking for a move elsewhere.

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So it wasn’t possible for him to play more or it was because of quality?

He started against Barcelona because he had to, we were without Firmino and Salah.

To me anyway, based on recent form, if AS continues to play Ibou when there is no knowing how he will perform… or how he will collapse sooooo easily, then bring the rest of the defence down with him first time he makes a mistake, would show a huge chink in the tactical genius armour we all hoped AS has.

Keep Endo out of midfield, but throw him in at CB… Surely, he can’t play as poorly as the crap performances Ibou is continually serving up to us on his RM white shirted platter… With Endo, at least we will have someone that will put it about in a manner that shows some pride in the badge…

I also hope AS puts some of the youngsters on the bench. Send them on if things are not happening on the night… send them on under the instruction to make the fans proud of their never-say-die attitude… something that has been seriously missing these last couple of months

Edit: What AS seriously needs to learn, and learn quickly, is how to send the players out feeling ten foot tall… something his predecessors of Shanks and Jurgen did all the time…
Get a grip Arne… you got one chance of being head coach of LFC… Don’t fuck it up for yourself

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You don’t get my point I think. Shaq started the Barcelona game because there was no other choice, fair enough. But he was confident enough to give a great performance that day. Why? Because Klopp made him feel confident all along.

We are diverging from topic, but I think you get my gist now: Slot has to prove that he can manage a squad of twenty players and keep players like Endo happy, focused and confident, for the moment he’ll need them. That’s not the case yet imo.

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How do we know these things on the outside, that Klopp made Shaqiri confident all long and Slot perhaps doesn’t make Endo confident? I for example remember Shaqiri saying he wasn’t happy with his game time (who is?) and the fan shouts. Does Shaqiri need more confidence than Endo, who seems to be a very calm and realistic guy?

Some things we’ll never know.

There are countless examples from different eras. You get some players who play less, rarely and eventually it leads to their exit. But both sides can be happy enough to continue together for more than a season. Endo realizes at this stage of his career, he can be happy to even be or remain part of a Liverpool squad, on money he’s never seen. Why? Did someone miss something about him, playing for the clubs he’s played?

I feel that there is a huge difference in the way Slot is managing his squaddies when compared with Klopp, but feel free to disagree with me, no problem. :wink:

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Right, so it’s a personal feeling, not something we know being on the outside.