Liverpool's Cup Win Highlights Pressure on Frimpong and Endo
Anfield under the lights, a reshuffled Liverpool XI, and a place in the fourth round of the EFL Cup secured at Tottenham Hotspur’s expense. On paper, it was a smooth night for Andoni Iraola.
For a couple of his players, it felt anything but.
Frimpong Exposed on a Trial Night
Cup ties like this are usually a gift to the fringe. A chance to breathe, to impress, to remind the manager there’s more to them than training-ground cameos. Iraola embraced that tradition, making 10 changes from the side that drew with Fulham and turning to youth and squad players as Liverpool faced Roberto De Zerbi’s men.
Trey Nyoni, James McConnell and Lewis Koumas all earned rare starts, the kind of assignment that can jolt a young career forward. Jeremie Frimpong, though, was not auditioning for the future. He was fighting for his Liverpool present.
The Dutchman started at right-back, the position Iraola demands so much from. The manager wants his full-backs to surge, to stretch games, to set the tempo in wide areas. Frimpong barely flickered as an attacking force.
Instead, the story of his evening unfolded in reverse, with Spurs repeatedly pouring down his flank. Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Omar Marmoush all took turns isolating him, forcing him backwards, testing his one‑v‑one defending. Across the 90 minutes, Frimpong never looked in control of that duel. Tottenham clearly sensed a weakness and kept returning to it.
This is not a one-off concern. Since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2025 for £30m, Frimpong has not come close to justifying the fee. The promise of a dynamic, modern full-back has too often given way to nervous, error-strewn displays. Sections of the Liverpool support have already turned on him, and nights like this only harden those views.
Right now, the hierarchy at right-back is brutally clear. Ronald Araujo is Iraola’s first choice. Conor Bradley is on his way back from injury and expected to feature again soon. Frimpong sits behind them, and not by a whisker.
Liverpool are still searching for someone who can echo what Trent Alexander-Arnold once offered before his move to Real Madrid – control in possession, incision in the final third, and authority in big moments. At present, Frimpong looks nowhere near that standard. Within the squad, he is viewed as one of the weaker links, a player who must improve significantly just to stay in the conversation.
For a full-back in an Iraola system, that is a brutal place to be.
Endo Frozen Out
If Frimpong at least had 90 minutes to argue his case, Wataru Endo did not even get that.
The 33-year-old midfielder, signed to bring experience and calm, watched another game drift by from the bench. It was the kind of fixture that should have been made for him: 10 changes to the starting XI, a domestic cup tie at home, younger players being trusted all over the pitch.
He still did not get on.
Endo had already been left out of Liverpool’s 25-man Champions League squad last week, alongside Federico Chiesa, with McConnell and Nyoni both preferred. That decision was a warning. This one felt like confirmation.
With Liverpool rotating heavily and with Endo yet to play a single minute in the Premier League this season, this looked like the ideal chance to give the £16m signing some rhythm, whether in midfield or even in defence. He had impressed as a makeshift centre-back against Como in pre-season, but that experiment has not been repeated.
Instead, Iraola turned to youth again. McConnell, 22, and Nyoni, 19, both started in midfield. Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, two of the club’s marquee names, began on the bench. Endo, once more, did not move.
The manager has been open about the pecking order. Speaking recently, Iraola admitted that Endo has a crowd in front of him in his position.
“The problem is, in front of him in his position, I have a lot of players,” he said. “He’s competing against a lot of players because we are also giving minutes to Trey (Nyoni), Ryan (Gravenberch), Alexis (Mac Allister), Dom (Szoboszlai), players that I am selecting right now.
“But Wata is definitely a player that I like and for sure he will have his moments.”
The words sound kind. The reality is ruthless. If a 33-year-old, left out of the European squad, cannot get on the pitch in a heavily rotated EFL Cup tie – one in which teenagers are trusted from the start – when exactly will those “moments” arrive?
Endo’s contract expires at the end of the season. With so many midfielders clearly ahead of him and his role shrinking by the week, Liverpool are staring at a simple equation: sell in January or lose him for nothing in the summer.
All the signs point in one direction. Iraola does not fancy him as a regular option. The club will likely explore their last chance to recoup a fee in the winter window. For Endo, who arrived with the hope of anchoring a new-look midfield, the best outcome now may well be a clean break.
Liverpool marched on in the cup on Tuesday night. For Frimpong and Endo, the question is whether they will still be marching with them when the season reaches its defining stretch.
