Prone to conceding first and lacking clean sheets, Liverpool were notoriously leaky defensively this season.
Conceding 41 times in the Premier League, their defensive record was the third-best in the English top-flight
A return of 10 clean sheets was joint-third in the division
Evidently, the Reds defence was hardly catastrophic. But the difference was decisive, as Liverpool found out the hard way that there is only so many times you can fall behind in matches
Looking back, it is easy to point the finger in the direction of the Reds’ search for a new holding midfielder last summer
After the unexpected exits of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia, they were knocked back by the likes of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia,
Also dismissed by Fluminense when enquiring after Andre Trindade, they ended up settling for the left-field signing of Wataru Endo from VfB Stuttgart for £16.2m.
Klopp would reference the difficulty Liverpool had in recruiting a new number six when addressing supporters at a test event for the new Anfield Road stand back in December.
Klopp
“In the summer, the summer we had when a few strange things happened in the transfer market,” he recalled, in reference to Liverpool’s failed pursuits of Caicedo and Lavia.
“But here between us, I can say my God were we lucky, eh?
“We didn’t know that in the moment, it didn’t feel like it in that moment. But, meh. I’m really happy that it worked out like that.
“You never know before, but I had a really good feeling before we started pre-season. Clear we had two already with Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) and Dom (Dominik Szoboszlai) in, and we knew there was a chance for Ryan (Gravenberch).
“Then we obviously realised other central defensive midfielders don’t want to join Liverpool (laughs). You see what happens!
“And then we found (Wataru) Endo. He’s an exceptional player, he is, absolutely.
“He’s 30 years old and an experienced captain of Japan. It’s not possible to be the first pick because the transfer market is not like that. We don’t go for a 30-year-old player who plays in Germany and nearly got relegated.
“Thank God we looked about things twice and had another look. Then it was clear we wanted this boy, and he wanted to come, definitely, and that helps.”
We’ll never know if Caicedo or indeed Tchouameni could have made a decisive difference for the Reds in place of Fabinho
But as impressive a maiden campaign in England as Endo had, surprising many in the process, it is clear the now 31-year-old is a stop-gap and won’t be Liverpool’s long-term answer.
As a result, heading into the summer, new head coach Arne Slot will be tasked with uncovering a solution
with it clear how much of a difference a world class holding midfield specialist can make. And recent reports in Italy suggest Liverpool scouts might have just found a possible answer.
Italian outlet Tuttosport suggests that Liverpool have been left ‘bewitched’ by his midfield partner, Ederson, in recent months.
He is the one who thrives winning the ball back, both in the air and on the ground, be it by tackling or interceptions.
he has enjoyed an incredible season for the Europa League champions, making 52 appearances and scoring seven goals across all competitions.
Starting 46 times, he would miss just three matches - one a European group-stage dead-rubber with progression to the knockout stages already secured
Such durability is certainly ‘bewitching’, with his form even earning him a maiden Brazil call-up ahead of this summer’s Copa America.
Aged 24, his peak years are still firmly in front of him.
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