Is Emre Can becoming a main man for Liverpool? Before Christmas both the  players and manager Brendan Rodgers were coming under increasing pressure as the team slipped further away from fourth spot. The Merseyside club were 9 points away from fourth placed West Ham which may have caused Rodgers to make a change to formation and tactics. Since then, Liverpool reverted to the 3-4-3 formation and have got 23 points out of a possible 27 in their last 9 games. There have been several reasons for this improvement in form such as the return of Sturridge, Mignolet rediscovering his form and the team keeping 5 away clean sheets in a row which is a club record.
One player which I think is key to this improvement has been Emre Can who was purchased by the club in the summer transfer window as an attacking midfield player but has found a new position in the right hand side if the 3 man defence. The reasons for Can’s success in this role have been his ability to play from the back in both his passing and dribbling ability. He has completed 87% of all passes attempted this season and on average dribbles with ball 3 times per game. The German is also physically strong and well suited to this position as he has combination of speed and strength which allows him to thrive in defence. Adding to that, being given time to learn the role will only benefit Liverpool as a team and also Can as an individual. Being only 21 years old he has time to develop into a top class centre back and be an integral part of Liverpool’s future under Brendan Rodgers.
It will be interesting to see if Emre Can will maintain this form when Liverpool face premier league champions Manchester City. With both teams chasing places above them it is a must win for either side. Liverpool are now only 2 points away from fourth spot while city have closed the gap to just 5 points on Chelsea. This will be the biggest test so far for Emre Can as centre back and will show how well Liverpool truly are playing. The battle of Can, Skrtel and Sakho against Sergio Aguero will be the key to who will come out on top this Sunday but will also be a massive confidence boost to both teams as city come off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona and Liverpool will be eager to show they can mix in with the big boys in the Premier League.
