Wataru Endo vs Rodri: How Liverpool's £16m Japanese star dominated in Anfield title battle

It's fair to say that a lot of people owe Wataru Endo an apology. 

Liverpool turned to the Japan skipper last summer following failed attempts to sign Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, with supporters left underwhelmed by the prospect of a then 30-year-old Stuttgart midfielder arriving at Anfield.

Understandably, Endo took a little time to get into the swing of things on Merseyside, but he has now become a vital and irreplaceable member of Jurgen Klopp's new-look Liverpool.

With his gum shield firmly in place, the £16m man set about dominating the engine room yet again on Sunday, battling against the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva during the 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

It was another sensational outing from Endo, who was more than a match for arguably the world's greatest holding midfielder Rodri. But how did the two enforcers cope when facing each other at Anfield?

Here is how Endo and Rodri compared during Sunday's title battle.

---

Endo vs Rodri: Stats comparison

According to FotMob, it was Endo who more regularly protected his back four on Sunday, with the midfielder involved in nine defensive actions. That's two more than Rodri's seven.

Endo also made two interceptions (vs Rodri's zero), won six out of his seven duels (vs Rodri's four from eight) and wasn't dribbled past once (vs Rodri's one), offering great support to Jarell Quansah and Virgil van Dijk in the backline.

Liverpool's No.3 was everywhere on Sunday, hoovering up Man City attacks and reclaiming possession for the Reds as they penned Man City in during the second half at Anfield.

However, that's not to say Rodri didn't also put in an impressive display, winning all three of his tackles (vs Endo's one from four), making eight recoveries (vs Endo's six) and making a combined three blocks and clearances (vs Endo's two).

Both players were important defensive anchors for their team, allowing their more progressive teammates to sustain attacking pressure.

Rodri was far more involved on the ball than his counterpart in red on Sunday, enjoying a game-high 123 touches (vs Endo's 72) - 25 more than the next highest Quansah.

The Spaniard may have made more accurate passes than Endo (90 vs 59), but Endo's 95% pass accuracy was significantly higher than Rodri's 87%.

However, the Man City midfielder was more important in his side's attacking phases, producing eight accurate long balls (vs Endo's zero) and playing ten passes into the final third (vs Endo's three). Only Quansah (12) delivered more balls into the attacking third than Rodri.

When it comes to playmaking, Rodri had a more productive performance than Endo at Anfield, although Liverpool's defensive midfielder is rarely required to contribute too significantly in the opposition half.

Overall, there was very little to separate Endo and Rodri at the weekend, with both players showing just how significant they are to their respective sides.

But given Endo's price tag and relative inexperience in such high-profile Premier League fixtures, it was a truly remarkable display from the 31-year-old, with Liverpool still yet to lose a league game in which he has started.

Endo was rightfully awarded Liverpool's official Player of the Match award after the full-time whistle and the former Stuttgart man is proving indispensable to Klopp this season.