Endo’s Aerial Game Isn’t About Height

There’s a bit of lazy thinking around aerial duels: tall equals good. With Wataru Endo, it’s the opposite. He looks like someone who wins headers through timing and edge, not inches.

We’ve all watched a ball hang in the air and heard the commentary lean on the same old line: “He should win that, he’s bigger.” But size isn’t the whole story, and if you’re judging Wataru Endo purely on height, you’re missing the point.

For me, Endo is simply better in the air than Joe Gomez. Not because he’s built like a centre-half, but because he attacks the moment. He gets his body set early, he times his jump, and when he heads it he tends to head it properly, straight and true, rather than just making contact and hoping it drops kindly.

Heading is a skill, not a measurement

The obsession with height does my head in a bit. Aerial ability is timing, aggression, bravery and that spring you’ve either got or you haven’t. You can be 6ft2 and still be passive, flat-footed, or just a fraction late. And in the Premier League, a fraction late is the difference between clearing your lines and watching the second ball bounce around your box.

You only have to look at the smaller lads who’ve made a career out of being a nuisance in the air. Tim Cahill was a menace. Diogo Jota is brilliant at arriving and meeting crosses. Gini Wijnaldum was far better in the air than he ever got credit for. Even defenders like Carles Puyol or full-backs like Dani Carvajal were proof that you don’t need to be massive, you need to be committed.

Where Endo can cope, and where it gets risky

There is a reality check, of course. If you’re giving away 20 to 30cm and the other lad is willing to jump, you’re basically asking for trouble. I’m not putting Endo up against a proper giant and pretending it’s fine. Certain match-ups are just physics.

But if it’s a more normal difference, say 15cm or less, a good header of the ball can absolutely even it up. Endo, at around 5ft10, can cope against plenty of forwards because he competes honestly, wins his share, and doesn’t shy away from the contact.

The bigger concern at centre-back

If you’re talking Endo at centre-back, my worry isn’t really the aerial side at all. It’s what happens when he’s dragged into open space. He was never lightning quick, and if he’s not fully sharp fitness-wise then you’re inviting teams to isolate him one v one and run him back towards his own goal.

That’s where the structure matters. Keep the distances tight, don’t leave him stranded, and he can do a job. Leave him exposed in transitions, and you’re asking questions you might not like the answers to.

Written by MK Scouser: 27 January 2026