Liverpool's hopes of winning the Premier League title took another hit on Saturday as they were held to a 2-2 draw by West Ham United at the London Stadium.
A late header from Michail Antonio ensured that the Reds only returned to Merseyside with a solitary point to their name, which leaves them third in the league.
Jurgen Klopp's long tenure in charge of the club now looks set to come to a close without a fairytale ending, as a Premier League title currently looks unlikely, whilst they have already been knocked out of the FA Cup and the Europa League.
It is not impossible, though, as they still have three games left to play to hope that their rivals slip up and provide them with a chance to move back to the top.
One man who will have a keen eye on results, and performances, between now and the end of the season is Arne Slot, who looks set to succeed Klopp in the dugout.
Fabrizio Romano recently reported that the club have agreed a compensation package with Feyenoord to make the Dutchman their new manager from next season onwards.
He may have been watching the 2-2 draw with West Ham on Saturday and one player whom the head coach may already have an eye on replacing is Wataru Endo, who could be brutally ditched to make way for Stefan Bajcetic.
Wataru Endo's performance against West Ham in numbers
The Japan international lined up at the base of the Liverpool midfield in London, with Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister either side of him.
Unfortunately, the experienced battler failed to take control of the game in the middle of the park, and produced a poor performance for the Reds.
In fact, This is Anfield's Mark Delgado handed the former Bundesliga star a match rating of 4/10 – citing his 'slow and ponderous' play and lack of progression in possession.
Pass accuracy
88%
Key passes
0
Long passes completed
0/1
Duels won
6/13
Dribbled past
1x
Error leading to shot
1
As you can see in the table above, a lack of progression was an issue in Endo's display as he did not complete a single long pass or create any chances for his teammates.
The 31-year-old dud also lost 7 of his 13 physical duels throughout the game, which shows that West Ham's players came out on top against him more often than not.
Endo also made one error that directly led to a shot for the opposition. This means that he directly created more chances for the Hammers to take a shot at Alisson than he did for his teammates to test Alphonse Areola.
Wataru Endo's season in numbers
The former Stuttgart gem joined Liverpool on a permanent deal from the German side last summer to provide more steel at the base of Klopp's midfield, after Fabinho's move to Al Ittihad.
He has been a solid, albeit unspectacular, performer for the Reds throughout the Premier League this season, as his work on and off the ball has left a bit to be desired.
To his credit, Endo ranks within the top 32% or higher of midfielders in the top-flight for tackles made per 90 (2.41) and interceptions per 90 (1.15) respectively, and the top 10% for aerial battles won per 90 (1.87).
However, the defensive midfielder has lost 56% of his duels in the Premier League, including 59% of his battles on the ground, and this shows that he has been a lightweight against opposition midfielders, as opponents have beaten him in physical contests more often than not.
In possession, the 31-year-old has not provided outstanding quality to progress his team up the pitch and create chances on a regular basis.
He ranks within the bottom 13% of midfielders in the division for assists per 90 (0.00), the bottom 9% for progressive carries per 90 (0.54), the bottom 27% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.48), and the bottom 11% for touches in the opposition box per 90 (0.54).
Why Arne Slot would love Stefan Bajcetic
Liverpool must brutally ditch Endo from the starting XI over the coming weeks and with a view to next season as teenage starlet Bajcetic could emerge as a better option in his position.
Slot has typically deployed a 4-2-3-1 base formation during his time with Feyenoord, which includes two holding players in a double pivot behind a number ten as part of the midfield structure.
Bajcetic, who writer Zubin Daver hailed as "special" last year, could play as one of the two midfielders at the base of that system, using his qualities in and out of possession to thrive alongside a player like Mac Allister.
The 19-year-old star has missed 41 games with a calf injury this season – making his return to the first-team squad against West Ham on Saturday – after his breakthrough year in the first-team during the 2022/23 campaign.
In the Premier League last season, Bajcetic made 11 appearances – starting six times – and showed promise with his work on and off the ball in midfield.
The Spanish teen won 45% of his duels – higher than Endo's 44% – despite only being 18 at the time and playing against players with many more years of experience and physical growth.
As you can see in the chart above, the Liverpool youngster ranked above average for midfielders in the Premier League for progressive carries, percentage of aerial battles won, and touches in the middle third per 90 respectively.
He also ranked within the top 24% of his positional peers for successful take-ons per 90 (1.20), which speaks to his ability to progress forward with the ball.
Impressively, Bajcetic also ranked within the top 12% for interceptions per 90 (1.54) – higher than Endo's 1.15 per 90 this term – and the top 13% for aerial battles won per 90 (1.54).
These statistics suggest that Slot would love the teenager as a replacement for Endo, as he is 12 years younger than the Japan international but has already showcased the potential to offer more in and out of possession as part of the prospective new manager's double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 shape.
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They also show that Klopp should drop the 4/10 dud when Bajcetic is fully fit to be able to start for the Reds, due to the possible upgrade he could be in the middle of the park for the German's side – based on his form last term and potential to improve further at his young age.
