Liverpool has been on the hunt for a new holding midfielder this month after Jürgen Klopp allowed both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to move to clubs in Saudi Arabia earlier this summer. The Reds have been without a true number six, with Alexis Mac Allister starting in the role across the opening two rounds of Premier League fixtures this term.
The Argentine international has performed to a reasonable standard, but he is more accustomed to being deployed further forward, with the South American acting as little more than a temporary fix. Across the first two games of the season, two players in the competition have shined as gold-standard options in the role.
Rodri was the first to grab the headlines. In Manchester City’s first clash of the new season against newly-promoted Burnley, the Spanish midfielder scored one of his team’s three goals, while also amassing more touches than any other player and generally dictating Pep Guardiola’s game from start to finish.
This week, although Rodri shined again against Newcastle United, it was Declan Rice’s time to take center stage. Arsenal signed the England international from West Ham United earlier this summer, and against Crystal Palace on Monday night, he was one of the main reasons behind his team managing to secure a scrappy 1-0 victory.
Rice was deployed as a ‘lone pivot’ according to his own words after the bout, completing 54 of his 60 passes while also showcasing more progressive passes than any of his teammates on eight. Arsenal suffered a red card in the 67th minute, with the 24-year-old talent stepping up as a key figure behind his team keeping a clean sheet to pick up three points.
Manchester City and Arsenal finished as the top two sides in the Premier League last season, and alongside only Brighton and Hove Albion, the pair have won 100 per cent of their matches so far, with much of their success appearing to stem from their elite holding midfield options.
Over the past five years, Fabinho acted as Liverpool’s fulcrum in that spot, but after suffering a decline last year, the void now looks set to be occupied by a surprise heir to his throne in Wataru Endo.
The seasoned performer is now 30 years old, and he was not initially on the radar of many Reds supporters. Endo is captain of the Japan national team, and he also wore the armband for Stuttgart before his shock move to Merseyside last week, signing on the dotted line for just $21m (£16m/€19m).
The Asian midfielder has plenty of positive qualities attached to his game. He is driven, industrious, self-sacrificing and eager to cover ground for his teammates, but despite his admirable perks, it is reasonable to suggest that he is not quite on the level of Rodri or Rice, and that is perhaps an understatement.
Endo has the skill set to do a job at Anfield, but with the summer window due to close at the end of this month, Klopp should be in the market for a more established starter, such as Liverpool-linked Cheick Doucouré (via the Evening Standard and others), for example, who performed well against Rice on Monday night.
It remains to be seen how the Reds will fare this season. Klopp has a squad with a very high ceiling but once comparing his holding midfielder to those representing Liverpool’s rivals at the summit of the Premier League table, the Anfield outfit seems to be lacking in quality.
If Endo is indeed going to be the last addition before the closure of the window, Klopp will have to find a way to navigate the campaign without relying too much on the level of his holding midfielder to deliver points, with Rodri and Rice appearing in a league of their own right now.
