Slot may have found Liverpool’s next Origi in unlikely source

Well, that was stressful. But three points are all that matter as Arne Slot’s Liverpool hit the business-time road in the Premier League.

The title is the destination, and the Reds are seven points clear once again. Wolverhampton Wanderers are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table and nearly left Anfield with something to prop them away from the drop zone, but Slot has proved that he can win in different ways, perhaps the marker of a champion.

Mohamed Salah’s first-half penalty proved to be the match-winner after the talented Matheus Cunha halved the deficit beyond the hour mark, but it wasn’t Salah’s most impactful display.

The title run-in is going to require big performances from many players, with Luis Diaz getting his name on the scoresheet and putting in a top display with Cody Gakpo absent through injury.

Luis Diaz returns to form

It was a game that lacked verve and initiative from the hosts. In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch was untidy and toiled. Andy Robertson had a tough time producing the fluent and dynamic performance that was possibly expected of him against one of the division’s biggest strugglers. Trent Alexander-Arnold was also messy, albeit with some slick passing interspersed throughout.

But one man certainly stepped up in Diaz. The Colombian has been an important part of Slot’s first season, starting the campaign off prolifically before spending much of his time in a reshaped striking role – it’s a testament to his movement and connectivity, but a damning indictment of Slot’s thoughts on Darwin Nunez.

He bundled in following neat work from Diogo Jota after just 15 minutes and also won the spot-kick that Salah converted. Sure, he was quieter after the break, but this was indicative of the collective

Gakpo has scored in seven straight Anfield appearances but was sidelined after picking up a knock during last week’s draw at Goodison Park. Slot is unsure whether his saluting scorer will be fit for the forthcoming trip to Aston Villa.

Diaz needed to step up, and step up he did. The 28-year-old had gone five successive Premier League matches without a goal – all played at centre-forward – but reminded the world of his quality here. It was a big result, and Diaz came up with the goods.

However, Diaz may not actually be the biggest winner of the event. Indeed, there’s one player who made a statement and could now prove to be Slot’s own – but different – version of Divock Origi.

Slot has found his own Divock Origi

Saying that veteran holding midfielder Wataru Endo is to be Slot’s own version of Origi over the coming months might seem peculiar, but his off-the-bench effort against Wolves showed that he can be a clutch presence for the Anfield side over the coming months.

Make no mistake, Liverpool were dire in the second half against Wolves, fighting off ten shots while failing to take a single shot of their own.

It was a game that demanded Endo’s involvement, and thus he was brought on for Diaz for the final 25 minutes (including stoppage time) completing all five of his passes and winning three ground duels, as per Sofascore, instrumental in clearing away the danger in the final moments, with Liverpool under the kosh.

After such an important effort against a well-worked Wolves performance, Slot may hold regrets over his decision not to introduce the Japanese midfielder sooner in the Merseyside Derby, with Liverpool a goal to the good but threatened by Everton’s tenacity.

In July 2014, over a year before Jurgen Klopp came, Liverpool signed Origi from LOSC Lille for £10m, part of the many-faceted attempt to replace Luis Suarez.

How curious that his signing ended up paying dividends, for Origi sealed Liverpool’s Champions League final victory over Tottenham Hotspur in 2018/19 after bagging twice in the historic 4-0 win over Barcelona – firing many further important goals home besides.

He scored 41 times for the Merseysiders, with Klopp rather generously claiming “he’s one of the best finishers I have ever seen in my life.” Such words carry substance, in fact, with the Belgium international’s composure and self-belief allowing him to come up trumps so many times, to be Liverpool’s source from deep within the wellspring when attacking inspiration had dried up elsewhere.

Now, Endo can be Slot’s own late-game hero. Liverpool were far too passive at the weekend (and maybe against Everton too) but Endo’s “warrior-like cameo,” as reporter Lewis Steele noted, will not be forgotten.

When Klopp signed Endo from Stuttgart for a £16m fee, many Premier League rivals tittered. Liverpool have fumbled bids for Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo, they cried, with the 2023 Anfield exodus the watershed point that would send the club in a downward spin.

But he’s proved himself worthy of a place in this side, playing first for Klopp, now Slot. The 32-year-old is committed and willing to star as a ball-winning presence late on. Slot has opted against using Endo from the outset in the top flight this season but he has played 11 times, called into business when Liverpool need to shore up.

Klopp had a secret weapon in Origi who proved to be a golden ticket toward success in the later stages of games when Liverpool needed to add a dimension.

Endo, an anchoring midfielder with limited technical quality, might be the inverse, but he came up clutch against the Old Gold and has proved that he could be a crucial part of the journey over the business months, maybe the difference-maker in building the points total and staving off Arsenal.

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