Emre Can has had a very “stop-start” beginning to his Liverpool career to say the least. A man bought for £9.75m over 6 months ago who has made only 13 appearances and played just 597 minutes across the Premier League, FA Cup, Capital One Cup and UEFA Champions League for Liverpool. From August up to January and the new year, German international Can has clocked a pass completion percentage of 85.8% and has shown promise in both holding midfield roles, and as part of a back 3 in a new 3-4-3 formation recently implemented by Brendan Rodgers. He has quickly found a place in the Liverpool supporters’ hearts and is most certainly a popular name on Merseyside.
But after finding it so difficult to consolidate a place in the first XI and become a regular starter for Rodgers, it begs many questions. The main being, what more does he have to do?
Can has shown so much ability, possessing the quality to pick out a pass, short or long, the physicality to compete with the opposition’s midfield and he has the potential to press forward on an attack, drive at the opposition with the ball and take on a shot whenever possible, proven when he received a stroke of luck at home to Chelsea in November and grabbed a deflected first LFC goal. He offers a presence which allows players such as Gerrard and Henderson, Coutinho and Lallana or whoever is chosen, to flourish.
Across the Christmas period, Reds boss Rodgers has elected to start Can in a number of games on the right hand side of a back three due to injuries to Dejan Lovren and a domestic ban for Martin Skrtel, where the Turkish-German has looked as comfortable on the ball as he has done. But after good wins against Burnley and Swansea in the league, it prompted the discussion about whether Liverpool’s recently troubled defence seemed to play with added confidence and self-assurance during the games in which Can played alongside Mamadou Sakho, another player in a similar situation to the former Bayer Leverkusen man deserving of some praise.
What is worth thinking about is that Emre Can’s ability could end up being key in the manager’s plans to push the club forward in the coming months.
With the Reds aiming for a top four finish, in a semi-final of the Capital One Cup and in with a shout of FA Cup glory, an important five months lay ahead for a group of players who will strive to prove their quality on a consistent basis, something which a handful of players have struggled to do since their arrivals.
There are options available and whether he persists with the 3-4-3, switches back to a 4-3-3 or brings back a 4-2-3-1, Can could play a vital role in any formation, at centre half or as a central midfielder. With both defensive and offensive attributes, you’d hope that a run of games would help for Emre Can to prove once and for all to the manager, the staff and the supporters that he should be in the side. Someone of his potential should not be left to rue missed opportunities and sit on the bench, he should be utilised to the maximum.
It’s not to say he’s the saviour as there are still issues to be addressed, mainly at the back, but he sure is someone worth considering for the manager, and it’d be a shame to see him continue to watch on from the sidelines.
