I recently asked this question: Why Anand and Carlsen insisted on playing the same opening/defense
FM Rauan Sagit answered:
In my view, in terms of opening preparation, the Anand team failed to obtain middle game positions that suited Anand's style. In general, I think that Anand should have aimed for long middlegames with most pieces intact. While Carlsen should have aimed for long endgames with most pieces exchanged off the board. From this point of view, Carlsen got his types of positions, while Anand failed to get his. This can partially be explained by the chosen opening systems. Additionally, I think that Anand should not have willingly exchanged queens in a single game.
That got me thinking, when a strong endgame player faces a strong middlegame player, does the latter stand a chance?
The endgame player would force the opponent into exchanging pieces and there's nothing you can do about it simply because he doesn't care about his pieces, just like what happened in the championship match, am I right? What are the odds of a middlegame player defeating an endgame player?