Wataru Endo’s departure from the pitch may have been a leading factor behind Liverpool’s sudden decline against Aston Villa.
The Japanese international was substituted on the 76th minute with Dominik Szoboszlai taking his place in midfield.
Villans substitute Jhon Duran took to the stage three minutes later, scoring a three-minute brace in the latter stages of the contest.
Notably, Endo, signed for £16.2m this summer, had arguably been the Reds’ most effective midfielder in the West Midlands, judging by stats compiled on X by @AnfieldIndex.
🇯🇵 Wataru Endo made the most recoveries in midfield (8) in the game against Aston Villa tonight.
He also won the most duels (6) out of #LFC’s midfielders.
4 clearances and a 91% pass completion rate. #LFC lost their shape when he came off the pitch.
What do the stats say about Wataru Endo?
Stats gathered by Sofascore would indeed support Anfield Index’s analysis of our No.3’s contributions last night.
It was quite the strange contest, with Liverpool showcasing their very best and very worst this season at Villa Park.
One of Arne Slot’s first priorities in the job will undoubtedly be fixing a midfield that has become somewhat easy to play through once again.
Whether that involves trusting in Endo long-term or signing a younger holding midfielder who can immediately contribute (or even trusting in Stefan Bajcetic) remains to be seen.
