Liverpool 1-4 PSV: Match Review
Liverpool have lost nine of their past 12 games in all competitions but Wataru Endo remains to be overlooked for a starting spot.
Arne Slot has explained why Wataru Endo continued to be overlooked for a Liverpool starting spot.
The Reds have lost nine of their previous 12 matches in all competitions. Having comfortably won the Premier League title last season, their defence is over before December as they trail leaders Arsenal by 11 points. As a result, Arne Slot has come under pressure as head coach ahead of the trip to West Ham United on Sunday.
In their previous three matches, Liverpool have conceded 10 goals, most recently a 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. The Reds have been vulnerable in defence throughout the campaign, with some fans suggesting that more protection is required.
Endo is the only out-and-out defensive midfielder in the squad. Ryan Gravenberch was moved into the number-six role after Slot took over the Liverpool hot seat from Jurgen Klopp, with Endo reduced to a bit-part role. The Japan international has made only four substitute appearances in the league so far this campaign and started only one top-flight match of Slot’s tenure.
What’s been said
Asked about Endo’s lack of opportunities, Slot said via the Liverpool Echo: "I prefer not to talk about individuals but since you ask, he is in the position Ryan is in. Ryan is not performing the worst from all of our players.
"That is Ryan’s best position and the same as Wata. When I used him as a right-back against Bournemouth I got criticised, I got told I got criticised. Ryan is one of the few who has been fit throughout the whole season. That is the answer."
Endo’s role has diminished
While Endo did not make a single start en route to Liverpool winning the Premier League title, he was regularly used off the bench to help see out games. He was hailed as ‘special’ by Slot.
“I think Wata has been really useful for us this season,” Slot said. “It’s not always a matter of how many minutes you play, you can be very important in two minutes and you can be less important in 90 minutes.
“What makes Wata special, in my opinion, is every time we have to rely on him – if it’s five, 10, 20 or 25 minutes – he shows up. That sounds much more simple than it is because if a player has hardly had a lot of playing time then to be mentally so strong that if the team needs you, you can bring your best performance in – that is not always easy.
“Because mostly you see players that don’t play a lot find it difficult to get their rhythm or their quality in the less playing time they get. The only thing is defending is always more easy than creating. So if you play a player who hasn’t played for a long time and he has to create something, it is always more difficult than defending.
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