In the Premier League, Liverpool are firmly at the top of the table, and the contribution of midfielder Hikaru Endo cannot be ignored. The Japanese international was named Liverpool's best player in December 2023, and according to OPTA, as long as Hikari is on the pitch, Liverpool's win rate is as high as 73.3%; however, once he is off the pitch, the win rate plummets to 40%. With Endo Hang's imminent departure for the Asian Cup, Reds manager Pep Guardiola will not be in a good mood, I'm afraid.
Last month, Hikaru Endo made eight appearances for Liverpool and scored a crucial goal against Fulham to help his team win 4-3. The defensive midfielder won the Player of the Year title for his forward-thinking style of play. Last summer, Liverpool signed 30-year-old Koh Endo from Stega for a fee of 16 million pounds (HK$160 million). Initially he was seen as a substitute, but over time he helped the team win 11 out of 15 Premier League matches, while the team won only two out of the five matches in which he was absent, which is a clear indication that Koh Endo has become an indispensable member of the Liverpool squad.
However, just after the match against Newcastle, Endo will leave the team to represent Japan to participate in the Asian Cup, which means that in the next month, Liverpool will lose the "patron saint" of winning. The Reds will face an even tougher challenge next Monday afternoon when they face Arsenal away in the FA Cup.
