With Jordan Henderson and Fabinho leaving the team, Liverpool was thin on defensive midfielders. Offers were presented to Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, both with experience in the Premier League, but both ended up at Chelsea.
However, they moved quickly from there. They quickly signed Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo, who had been with Stuttgart. In addition to Henderson, he added the experience and leadership of a national team captain to a team that had seen the departure of veteran players such as James Milner.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who is in fierce competition for a position in the generational midfield squad, has revealed that he is aware of both offense and defense on the pitch and is giving thought to whether he can take the most suitable position.
“I am always conscious about whether I can be in the best position both defensively and offensively,”
“When we are attacking, I see if I can be between the opponents’ forwards and midfielders, or I think how they are trying to put pressure on us. Every team has a system. I try to see which player tries to put pressure on me and change my position based on what I see – and change where to move the ball to.”
“It is the same for defence. I see how the opponents move a ball in their system and think how I defend when a particular player makes a move. I always think about these things while playing.”
Matchday programme
He has not spent preseason at Liverpool and is still getting used to team tactics and the Premier League. In the Bundesliga, he was unmatched in duels, but the intensity of the English game is different, and he needs to gradually immerse himself in that intensity.
At the age of 30, it is a late challenge, but will he be able to make use of his experience and become an indispensable member of the team?