LIVERPOOL have a secret weapon as they bid to turn their Premier League lead into a title.
Arne Slot has a player who is earning a reputation as the ideal man to bring on to close out a game.
Wataru Endo is a Liverpool super-sub but was left on the bench for the draw against Newcastle
Wataru Endo is a Liverpool super-sub but was left on the bench for the draw against NewcastleCredit: Rex Features
Endo#s game time has been extremely limited
Endo#s game time has been extremely limitedCredit: Reuters
But the Kop boss failed to give Wataru Endo a late cameo against Newcastle.
And some Liverpool fans reckon it cost the Reds two points as Fabian Schar grabbed a last-minute equaliser in the 3-3 thriller at St James’ Park last week.
Supersubs like David Fairclough and Divock Origi have gone down in Anfield folklore.
But bit-part player Endo has made his mark by helping to stop goals rather than score them, despite playing only 20 minutes of top-flight football this season.
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The most popular sport in Endo’s homeland of Japan is baseball.
Like a closing pitcher brought in from the bull pen to stop the opposition batters from scoring at the end of a match on the diamond, Endo has proved effective as a substitute at shutting down games and seeing Liverpool over the line.
The Reds have conceded only once during the Japan captain’s 15 appearances as a replacement in the Premier League since he arrived from VfB Stuttgart in summer 2023.
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That was the stoppage-time own goal by Joel Matip which handed Tottenham a 2-1 victory in September 2023.
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The game was overshadowed by controversy because of a VAR cock-up that led to Luis Diaz’s first-half goal for Liverpool being wrongly disallowed.
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Endo has been brought on 11 times since and the Reds have not let in a single goal.
And the only other top-flight match Liverpool have lost after the midfielder’s introduction was the 2-0 defeat at Everton in April, when the Toffees scored both their goals before his arrival.
Overall, Endo’s record as a Premier League sub is played 15, won 11, drawn two, lost two, across a total of 149 minutes of football.
His only top-flight goal was the 87th-minute equaliser against Fulham in December last year, four minutes after coming on for Ryan Gravenberch.
And a minute later Trent Alexander-Arnold scored what turned out to be the winner in a 4-3 victory.
Endo, 31, has been on the field for only 20 minutes in the Premier League this season, across six substitute appearances.
But Reds fans will wonder whether his energy and combativeness would have allowed them to see out another come-from-behind win at Newcastle in their last Premier League match.
Slot has had a brilliant start as Liverpool boss, guiding the team clear at the top of the league in his debut season after replacing Jurgen Klopp.
But one area where the Reds are lagging behind is in substitutions changing games.
Slot bottom of the league
In fact, Slot is bottom of the table of Premier League bosses for making an attacking impact with substitutions.
So far the Dutchman has made 56 changes in 14 games, but none of his replacements have scored and only three times has a sub created a goal.
At the other end of the table is Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, whose 72 substitutes have produced seven goals and 13 assists between them.
Slot could quite reasonably argue that Liverpool are sitting top of the league because he gets his starting XI right and makes changes mainly to stop the opposition from coming back into games, rather than to score more goals.
Maybe the Kop boss missed a trick by not bringing Endo on against Newcastle.
But Liverpool continue to be linked with Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, after failing to land the Spain midfielder in the summer.
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Gravenberch has been a revelation in the No 6 role under Slot, which has been a big factor in the lack of opportunities for Endo.
If the Japan star is still at the club after January, he may yet have an important role to play as Liverpool try to close out a record-equalling 20th English title win.
Arne Slot's substitutions have failed to make an impact
Arne Slot's substitutions have failed to make an impactCredit: PA