Wataru Endo’s significance within Liverpool’s ranks has grown considerably, marking his transition into an essential player for the club. This transformation comes in the wake of his challenging start at Anfield, which was underscored during his early days in the Europa League campaign.
Not even with the most optimistic of viewpoints could any Liverpool supporter find solace after their team’s descent into the Europa League following a failure to secure a top-four finish last season.
However, the Reds have chosen to embrace the unique opportunities presented by competing in the secondary continental tournament. Among those who have capitalised on these opportunities is Wataru Endo.
Endo’s significance is evident from his consistent presence in Liverpool’s Europa League campaign, having started all six group stage matches. As they prepare to face Sparta Prague in the round of 16 first leg at the Stadion Letna, many will hope for Endo’s preservation, underscoring the impact he has had in his debut season at Anfield.
Endo’s prominence reflects the progress he has made, symbolising the importance he holds within Jurgen Klopp’s squad. This comes at a time when Liverpool, already boasting a record 10th League Cup, are on the pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple.
The Europa League journey has been quite the ride for the defensive midfielder. During only his second start for the Reds in the victory against LASK Linz, he faced challenges. Surprisingly, he was substituted at half-time in the home win over Union Saint-Gilloise, despite showing improvement.
Against Toulouse, there were contrasting outcomes. He scored his debut Reds goal at Anfield but struggled in France, leading to another half-time substitution. In the loss at Union before Christmas, he only played 45 minutes, mainly due to rotation.
Despite limited playing time, he surpassed his minutes in the Premier League by the end of the group stage. Recently, in 10 available games, he has only failed to start in the dramatic 1-0 Premier League win at Nottingham Forest, attributed to recovering from an ankle injury that caused him to miss the FA Cup win over Southampton.
In December, he filled in for the injured Alexis Mac Allister. His return from the Asia Cup last month allowed the Argentina World Cup winner to excel further forward. With one goal and three assists in his last five outings, including his recent cross for Darwin Nunez’s late winner at the City Ground, his performance has been commendable.
Endo is helping improve players around him. And the 31-year-old knows exactly the reason for his gradual improvement with Liverpool.
“The manager always supports me and he is a great, great person because he always trusts me and the other players so that we can play much more fully,” he says.
“I don’t think I’ve changed too much as a player. I had to understand how Liverpool play but I know that now and I can understand that side of things so I just do my best to try and help the team win every game.
“I feel like I can be an important player right now as it’s a very tough situation for us to play two or three times as week but I don’t feel a lot of pressure. I’m just not the kind of person who always puts too much pressure on myself. I just try to stay calm and focus on my job.”
And of Liverpool’s season, Endo says: “We have potential to win trophies. We have good young talent and we have amazingly experienced players, which is a good mix.
“Everyone always plays for the team and I think that’s a very important thing in order to win titles and to achieve something. I can see that very clearly and so I can say that we have a lot of potential to win titles.”
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