Liverpool's EFL Cup Victory Highlights Squad Hierarchy
Liverpool eased into the fourth round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday night, but the 2-0 win over Tottenham at Anfield said as much about Andoni Iraola’s squad hierarchy as it did about the scoreline.
Ten changes, a reshuffled XI, kids thrown into the noise of a cup tie under the lights – this was supposed to be a night for the fringe to fight back. Instead, it underlined who Iraola trusts, and who he doesn’t.
Frimpong Exposed on a Trial Night
Cup games are usually a safety net. A chance to experiment, to hide flaws behind the broader story of rotation. Jeremie Frimpong didn’t get that luxury.
The Netherlands international started at right-back, with Ronald Araujo rested after cementing himself as Iraola’s first choice in recent weeks. On paper, this was the perfect stage: a home tie, a rotated opponent, a manager who loves aggressive, attacking full-backs.
On the pitch, it looked very different.
Frimpong offered almost nothing going forward. His runs lacked conviction, his delivery rarely troubled Tottenham, and the right flank never really sparked into life. Instead, it became a target. Spurs repeatedly funneled their attacks down his side, and he struggled to contain Mathys Tel, Mohammed Kudus and Omar Marmoush over the 90 minutes.
It wasn’t a one-off blip, either. Since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen for £30m in the summer of 2025, Frimpong has yet to convince in a red shirt. Sections of the fanbase have already turned on him, criticising his defensive positioning last season and now his timid attacking output this term.
Right now, he sits behind Araujo. Soon, he may have to worry about Conor Bradley as well, with the academy product edging closer to a return from injury. For a player signed at a premium price to be a difference-maker, that’s a brutal reality.
Liverpool still haven’t found anyone who can replicate what Trent Alexander-Arnold brought to that role before his move to Real Madrid. Frimpong was supposed to be part of the solution. At the moment, he’s being spoken about as one of the weakest links in the squad, and his performance against Tottenham only deepened that impression.
If Iraola wants his full-backs to drive this team, the evidence so far suggests he may still need a new first-choice right-back.
Endo Frozen Out
If Frimpong’s night was uncomfortable, Wataru Endo’s was worse in a different way.
He didn’t play at all.
A game like this – 10 changes, youngsters promoted, senior regulars on the bench – should be a lifeline for a 33-year-old squad player trying to stay relevant. Instead, Endo watched the entire evening from the sidelines, just as he has done in all four of Liverpool’s Premier League matches so far this season.
The warning signs were already there. Last week, Liverpool left him out of their 25-man Champions League squad, alongside Federico Chiesa. Teenagers Trey Nyoni and James McConnell made the cut ahead of him. That decision spoke loudly. Anfield heard it. So did Endo.
On Tuesday, Iraola doubled down.
McConnell, 22, and Nyoni, 19, both started in midfield against Spurs. Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai began on the bench but still sat above Endo in the pecking order. Even the option of using him as a makeshift defender – a role he handled well in pre-season against Como – never came into play.
The manager hasn’t tried to hide the situation.
“The problem is, in front of him in his position, I have a lot of players,” Iraola admitted recently. “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 were kind. The team sheet was ruthless.
If Endo can’t get on the pitch in a heavily rotated EFL Cup tie, when exactly will those “moments” arrive? With younger midfielders being fast-tracked and established stars locked into the biggest games, the answer feels obvious.
Endo’s contract expires at the end of the season. With so many players clearly ahead of him, Liverpool are staring at their last realistic chance to recoup any of the £16m they paid for him. A January move now looks less like a possibility and more like an inevitability.
Iraola’s selection calls against Tottenham made one thing crystal clear: he doesn’t see Endo as part of Liverpool’s future. For a player who once impressed enough to be trusted as an emergency centre-back, that future now almost certainly lies away from Anfield.
