Jurgen Klopp has been criticised for his recent public comments about Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo.
Endo has had a steady start to life at Anfield, having been a surprise arrival from Stuttgart this summer.
Asked why the 30-year-old hasn’t played all that much so far, Klopp had this to say earlier in week: “Wataru is a great guy, very calm and very polite – and that may have cost him the first two weeks. But that’s now getting there.”
Referencing these comments, German outlet Sport1 have questioned exactly what Klopp was getting at.
Labelling the Liverpool manager’s quotes on Endo as ‘bizarre,’ Sport1 claim that Jurgen should have already been fully aware of the Japan captain’s reputation as a ‘flawless professional footballer and quiet leader.’ That he seemingly wasn’t is deemed as being ‘curious’ by the outlet.
Klopp criticised for Endo explanation
It’s quite a jump for Sport1 to suggest that Klopp wasn’t sure what kind of person he was getting when he decided to bring Endo to Liverpool.
On the contrary, it appears that the Reds boss was one of the few of a Liverpool persuasion who knew exactly what to expect from the Japanese.
As a way of explaining why Endo hasn’t been getting too much game time, it was fine. Not once did Klopp says that his No.3’s politeness was a surprise to him, merely that a lack of ruthless edge may have cost him a little.
At Liverpool, it’s easy to see how this could become a problem for Endo. To get in and stay in the starting XI, he’s going to have to really assert himself.
Although clearly a superb professional and a valuable member of the squad, you perhaps do need that nasty streak to make it right at the very top. It’s possible that the Japan international doesn’t quite have that.
That isn’t a criticism of Endo though, and Klopp’s words weren’t either. A squad needs all kinds of characters to function and the former Stuttgart captain will prove his worth. Jurgen knows that.
There have been plenty of interesting takes from Germany and beyond about Liverpool bringing Endo in this summer, but this isn’t one of them.
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