Paul Salt has raised doubts about Wataru Endo‘s ability to keep up with the pace of Premier League football.
The concern revolves around a challenge on Christian Norgaard, where the Japanese international seemed a bit sluggish and caught the Brentford player with his studs.
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According to the BBC Radio Merseyside pundit on The Red Kop podcast, Endo appears half a yard slower and struggles to match the speed of the game, often resulting in him being prone to bookings.
The recent contentious challenge, while not deemed a red card offense, was attributed to Endo’s poor touch, and a yellow card might have been more fitting, according to Salt.
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Paul Salt on Wataru Endo
“I’m not just basing this on yesterday but whenever I’ve seen him, that’s why he is a walking booking. It’s almost like he can’t get up to the pace of the game.
The contentious challenge which resulted in him not being sent off actually came from his bad touch. I don’t think it was a red card. I can understand what Frank is saying, but he’s not going in studs up. He’s trying to make up for his bad touch and he does catch him. I think a yellow card would have been fair enough.
It’s a bit concerning for me, he just seems a little bit too slow for the game, or the game is too fast for him. His tackling is off, but I don’t know whether that’s because he can’t get up to pace. I was surprised he played [against Brentford] because he had an absolute stinker in the first half on Thursday.”
Said Salt.
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Expressing concern about Endo’s overall performance, Salt suggests that the midfielder seems a bit too slow for the Premier League, or the game might be too fast for him.
The poor tackling could be a consequence of Endo’s struggle to keep up with the pace, as observed in his recent game against Brentford.
Despite a VAR check allowing Endo to stay on the pitch, SofaScore statistics reveal a subpar performance, with Endo succeeding in only 1 out of 9 ground duels during the match.
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However, it’s acknowledged that these concerns might need further evaluation as Endo gets more regular playing time.
With a challenging fixture against Manchester City after the international break, it’s speculated that Alexis Mac Allister might be favored over Endo in the starting lineup.
Liverpool is my Religion and Anfield is my Church. 17th May 1996 the date I had my blood coloured red. The one you love the most you can not live without it and that is football to me.
