Topic: Can we fix it? Yes we Can…

[Packalacky]

Could we not play a midfield three of Henderson, Milner and Can, with one of them dropping into that covering position when the other two go forward?

Or is that what you were saying?

Simply drop Henderson and play Can in the "2" next to Milner. He's better than Henderson in every way.

[Roger Federer]

For the most part, I thought he looked like an excellent prospect, if not the finished product obviously, in that 3 man defence. But it seems like we're moving away from that to a four man defence and then it's back to the midfield for him again (though I still wonder if he could play centre half next to Sakho from time to time). No idea what role suits him best, and it's difficult to see how we'll line up. As it stands, I'd play Lucas, Coutinho and Henderson with Milner and Can as back up, between them they should be able to cover all three positions. Sterling/Lallana/Markovic/Ibe or perhaps Firmino at the tip of the diamond if Sterling leaves.

[rickardinho1]

Simply drop Henderson and play Can in the "2" next to Milner. He's better than Henderson in every way.

It'll be interesting to see if Henderson continues to be the clear preferred option in midfield next season given that he'll now have genuine competition from Milner as well as Can moved back there. It perhaps wouldn't be such an intriguing question if Henderson wasn't the heir to the captaincy though.

[bodhisattva]

It'll be interesting to see if Henderson continues to be the clear preferred option in midfield next season given that he'll now have genuine competition from Milner as well as Can moved back there. It perhaps wouldn't be such an intriguing question if Henderson wasn't the heir to the captaincy though.

One of the things ive felt we've needed in the midfield is that big personality, someone with that will to win that can drive the team.
the more i think about it the more Can seems perfect to do this.

Even though he's young you can see he has that sort of personalty, he's a winner and a competitor. He also gives us that much needed physical presence in the midfield, something we have lacked in some games where we seem to get bullied a lot, Can won't be bullied.

He also has very good quality on the ball and is a threat with his long range shooting.

I think a midfield 3 of Can, Henderson and Milner could work well with Can starting as the deepest and the other 2 using their energy ahead of him. But Can does need that freedom to get forward hes a very powerful runner, and he does have a goal threat. It just means one of the other 2 has to be aware when he does that and cover.

But Can could be that physical midfielder we've been lacking with a bit of bite.

[MobileBayRed]

Im going to keep my expectations of Can tempered a bit.  I don't think his play last season necessarily warranted the love he receives on this site.

He faded pretty badly down the stretch last year.  I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because he was basically played out of position all year, but there are concerns in his game.  He is very undisciplined when it comes to his positioning.  He also tries to do too much dribbling at times often ending up with him being dispossessed and not able to get back to his position.  A shift to midfield may alleviate some of this.

I hope he can become the YaYa Toure player that people are predicting on here, but Im not putting his name on the team sheet with a permanent marker yet.

[bodhisattva]

Im going to keep my expectations of Can tempered a bit.  I don't think his play last season necessarily warranted the love he receives on this site.

He faded pretty badly down the stretch last year.  I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because he was basically played out of position all year, but there are concerns in his game.  He is very undisciplined when it comes to his positioning.  He also tries to do too much dribbling at times often ending up with him being dispossessed and not able to get back to his position.  A shift to midfield may alleviate some of this.

I hope he can become the YaYa Toure player that people are predicting on here, but Im not putting his name on the team sheet with a permanent marker yet.

I think most of his dodgy moments were defensively, 1v1 with fast tricky players he did struggle at times on the turn he's going to have to deal with this less as a central midfielder. Its obviously a position he sees as his best and this should help his confidence.

The most important thing for me is he has the personality we're badly missing. He's a winner, a leader, he's not going to take a backwards step i think we really need that type of personality in our midfield.

[Zoomers]

Emre Can: "I’ll be playing my best position soon, which is central midfield. Rodgers knows about it & sees it the same way I do"

I bet Brendan couldn't argue with him for shit. Bold as fuck.

"AY YO BRENDAN I ALREADY PUT MY NAME ON THE TEAMSHEET, YOU'RE WELCOME"

[rickardinho1]

I think most of his dodgy moments were defensively, 1v1 with fast tricky players he did struggle at times on the turn he's going to have to deal with this less as a central midfielder. Its obviously a position he sees as his best and this should help his confidence.

The most important thing for me is he has the personality we're badly missing. He's a winner, a leader, he's not going to take a backwards step i think we really need that type of personality in our midfield.

He's basically the only "c*nt" in our midfield. Someone you could see brutally hacking down an opposing attacker at full speed to stop a counter attack at a crucial time. Never seen anyone do that in our midfield the last two seasons (though Toure whiping out Phil Dowd gets an honourable mention! :-) )

Edit: come to think of it I can't remember anyone doing that hacking job with any regularity since Mascherano left. Lucas just fouls around our box for the most part but never really thunderous challenges with an attitude.

[s_andrews89]

He's basically the only "c*nt" in our midfield. Someone you could see brutally hacking down an opposing attacker at full speed to stop a counter attack at a crucial time. Never seen anyone do that in our midfield the last two seasons (though Toure whiping out Phil Dowd gets an honourable mention! :-) )

Edit: come to think of it I can't remember anyone doing that hacking job with any regularity since Mascherano left. Lucas just fouls around our box for the most part but never really thunderous challenges with an attitude.

Didn't watch the first minute or 2 of the second half against united then?!

But, I do agree with you. Think he could be our box to box monster a la Yaya, if allowed the time to develop...

[Lemieux]

I don't know where he fits in best to be honest.  I think he has a lot of tools but they all come up slightly short one way or another.  He's doesn't pass fast enough, his feet aren't quick either needs time on the ball to be most effective with his passing.  He's good running at players but you don't get those opportunities in midfield often, I get a little worried about relying on him for an entire season.

In the end I think Brendan will give him plenty of opportunities but I don't see him as a cog in the wheel ala Henderson.  Think we will see him in and out of the lineup unless he exceeds expectations.

[Walk On]

I don't know where he fits in best to be honest.  I think he has a lot of tools but they all come up slightly short one way or another.  He's doesn't pass fast enough, his feet aren't quick either needs time on the ball to be most effective with his passing.  He's good running at players but you don't get those opportunities in midfield often, I get a little worried about relying on him for an entire season.

In the end I think Brendan will give him plenty of opportunities but I don't see him as a cog in the wheel ala Henderson.  Think we will see him in and out of the lineup unless he exceeds expectations.

Lets not forget he's still a young lad.  He probably learnt allot playing with Gerrard last season and will hopefully pick up a few pointers from Milner.
He's not the complete package and neither is Hendo but he does have a way of "carrying the ball" that I've not seen in Hendo. 

Ideally you'd play Can next to Milner with Hendo on either side of one of them or just ahead.  Problem with this is you end up being too defensive in the middle and lacking the creativity and penetration to push up. 

[rickardinho1]

Didn't watch the first minute or 2 of the second half against united then?!

But, I do agree with you. Think he could be our box to box monster a la Yaya, if allowed the time to develop...

It was 45 seconds to be precise

But he's not here anymore 

[Draex]

3 box to box... Why do we need a defensive midfielder? Why try to go back.. Revolutionise., or copy Germany.

[killer-heels]

He played well in midfield against Chelsea. Whether he could do it when pressed relentlessly remains to be seen.

[RyanBabel19]

He played well in midfield against Chelsea. Whether he could do it when pressed relentlessly remains to be seen.

I don't think struggling on the ball due to being pressed is one of the issues Can has, seems quite calm under pressure from his displays at RCB

He's composed on the ball and has very quick feet aswell

[killer-heels]

I don't think struggling on the ball due to being pressed is one of the issues Can has, seems quite calm under pressure from his displays at RCB

He's composed on the ball and has very quick feet aswell

He does but can he be as good on the half turn when pressed and the midfield area is quite a difficult one in this league. He is still only young though and probably will confirm but i still think its risk to start with him. He did look quite cumbersome in midfield in games he played there at times.

That said we probably have no real choice.

[bodhisattva]

I don't think struggling on the ball due to being pressed is one of the issues Can has, seems quite calm under pressure from his displays at RCB

He's composed on the ball and has very quick feet aswell

yeah i don't think thats a problem he's also very confident in his own ability and has the ability to run with the ball to get himself out of trouble.
you'd hope the games he played as part of the back 3 would have helped the defensive side to his game which would be important if he is to play
as the deepest of the midfielders but i don't see why you can't have 3 good all round midfielders that can rotate depending on what the others are
doing.

[Solomon Grundy]

He played well in midfield against Chelsea.

He did in the first half hour. Then he faded badly and was replaced. Stamina was a real issue for him early on. That's why I think Brendan moved him back into defence.

[RyanBabel19]

He does but can he be as good on the half turn when pressed and the midfield area is quite a difficult one in this league. He is still only young though and probably will confirm but i still think its risk to start with him. He did look quite cumbersome in midfield in games he played there at times.

That said we probably have no real choice.

I think he's good enough personally. Although i will say he seems the type of player who needs movement around him really, a little like Sakho as i dont think either like just surrendering possession if they can help it and tend to prefer waiting for a player to show as opposed to just hoofing it out. Can is very calm on the ball in my opinion though, the fact he's strong helps obviously as he is quite good at shielding the ball

[Clint Eastwood]

Simply drop Henderson and play Can in the "2" next to Milner. He's better than Henderson in every way.

Sure he is.

[bodhisattva]

quality assist for Germany U21

really excited how he's going to develop as a midfielder for us.

[Gnurglan]

Good assist. Hope to see him more in CM next season. If we can get it to work with Can, Henderson and Milner, things could look pretty good.

[Zoomers]

Two assists so far.

[Solomon Grundy]

What a beast he is.

[Asam]

He's not a DM, let him play in the final third and I think he can do some real damage for us, he's a powerhouse.

[jepovic]

10M for this guy is just amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LBG_JqxXqI

He tries too hard sometimes, overworks situations which gets him into trouble. Not surprising for a 20-year old.
Poor decision making is not a small issue if he wants to play DM though, because it's absolutely crucial there. I mean Lucas does very well as DM pretty much only by top notch decision making. Can will learn, but I'm not sure if he will be ready next year already.

[Irakla]

watched him again and still not convinced if he suits the premier league. Off the ball, boy he seems so lazy and tired, and then all of a sudden he gets the ball and runs down with it like an express train, he needs to be more dynamic, mobile and press higher in order to thrive in PL.

[SerbianScouser]

watched him again and still not convinced if he suits the premier league. Off the ball, boy he seems so lazy and tired, and then all of a sudden he gets the ball and runs down with it like an express train, he needs to be more dynamic, mobile and press higher in order to thrive in PL.

A lot like Yaya Toure then. And he didn`t do too bad in recent years.

[Billy The Kid]

The thing I like about him is he never seems to panic. Even when he's being pressed in seemingly tight spaces, he's not afraid to attempt to play his way out of trouble. Henderson always seems to look for the 'safety first' option. I don't think he has the same innate ball playing confidence that Can has. Then again, Henderson is a product of the English youth development system, while Can is a product of the German system.

That being said, there were times last season when he played himself into some tight spots instead of taking the safety first option. But fuck it, he is what he is. He's programmed to play with the ball at his feet. Once he acquires more and more experience and his game intelligence and decision making improve, he will be a monument of footballing pornography. Absolutely no doubt about it

[rickardinho1]

The thing I like about him is he never seems to panic. Even when he's being pressed in seemingly tight spaces, he's not afraid to attempt to play his way out of trouble. Henderson always seems to look for the 'safety first' option. I don't think he has the same innate ball playing confidence that Can has. Then again, Henderson is a product of the English youth development system, while Can is a product of the German system.

That being said, there were times last season when he played himself into some tight spots instead of taking the safety first option. But fuck it, he is what he is. He's programmed to play with the ball at his feet. Once he acquires more and more experience and his game intelligence and decision making improve, he will be a monument of footballing pornography. Absolutely no doubt about it

Well Brendan is always talking about how he wants players to be comfortable as fuck on the ball, and Can very much fits the bill.

I agree with the poster above that Can isn't experienced enough decision-making wise to nail down the deep midfield spot yet, and personally I think he's more suited to playing ahead of a DM anyways so he has the freedom to bomb forward. It's the same reason why I don't like seeing Henderson play deep in a 4231 - his forward runs are completely negated as he's handcuffed by defensive responsibility. Perhaps the DM role could work for Can though if Henderson and Milner/Allen cover for him when he goes on his runs. I worry a bit though since Can was often guilty of not getting his ass back in defense quickly enough when he was playing RCB after going on runs and that could be a problem as a DM too.

Hopefully as he matures he'll improve his decision making and discipline, as there's a fine player there if he does.

[Solomon Grundy]

I tell you now, we've got a special talent in Emre Can on our hands. He has got everything in his locker to become a top midfielder and he just seems to have that presence about him. Future captain material for sure imo. Lets hope we can be successful and win things to ensure we keep him for the best years of his career.

[Solomon Grundy]

Well Brendan is always talking about how he wants players to be comfortable as fuck on the ball, and Can very much fits the bill.

I agree with the poster above that Can isn't experienced enough decision-making wise to nail down the deep midfield spot yet, and personally I think he's more suited to playing ahead of a DM anyways so he has the freedom to bomb forward. It's the same reason why I don't like seeing Henderson play deep in a 4231 - his forward runs are completely negated as he's handcuffed by defensive responsibility. Perhaps the DM role could work for Can though if Henderson and Milner/Allen cover for him when he goes on his runs. I worry a bit though since Can was often guilty of not getting his ass back in defense quickly enough when he was playing RCB after going on runs and that could be a problem as a DM too.

Hopefully as he matures he'll improve his decision making and discipline, as there's a fine player there if he does.

I don't think he has it in him to be a DM at the moment. His natural urge is to bomb forward at every opportunity. I think he could make a cracking box-to-box midfielder. He just needs to learn how to pace himself a bit better imo.

[Draex]

I tell you now, we've got a special talent in Emre Can on our hands. He has got everything in his locker to become a top midfielder and he just seems to have that presence about him. Future captain material for sure imo. Lets hope we can be successful and win things to ensure we keep him for the best years of his career.

Has to be made Vice-Captain for me.. Has that desire to win, just needs a bit more stamina to last 90 minutes.

[Solomon Grundy]

Has to be made Vice-Captain for me.. Has that desire to win, just needs a bit more stamina to last 90 minutes.

Who is your captain then? Got to be Lucas for me. Got a feeling its going to be Henderson though. But I personally don't think he is cut out for it.

[Draex]

Who is your captain then? Got to be Lucas for me. Got a feeling its going to be Henderson though. But I personally don't think he is cut out for it.

Milner, the problem is I could see Henderson loosing it completely destroying the lad.

[BarryCrocker]

Has to be made Vice-Captain for me.. Has that desire to win, just needs a bit more stamina to last 90 minutes.

Played 27 times for the club, is only 21 years old, yet to earn a senior cap for his country, can't speak english.

Fuck it, lets make him captain.

We should start a never ending thread on Next Liverpool Captain' thread. Any time someone has a handful of good matches they can be added to the list with Skrtel, Henderson, Can, Sahko, Lucas.

He's a very talented young player. Let's give him the space to become a great player and earn whatever plaudits that come with that.

[GreatEx]

Played 27 times for the club, is only 21 years old, yet to earn a senior cap for his country, can't speak english.

He can speak English just fine. But he doesn't appear to understand a word Henderson says: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYfyopS672Y

I imagine most of the foreign lads would also find Emre easier to listen to!

[number 168]

Emre has the potential to be a top player. His touch on the ball 'for a big man' is excellent and he can pick a pass.  He is constantly talking to his team mates and offering advice and encouragement.  My only concern is his stamina, he looks knackered half the time. Could be that as a big guy he expends energy easily? I don't know but he came off last night blowing for tugs.

[Spanish Al]

From the first time I saw him (which was in a Re shirt) I've loved the look of the lad. Physically a monster, seems to have that typical calm, German arrogance and coolness too. I think it was against Bolton (where he set up Sterling with an excellent ball over the whole defence) where I was really impressed. He was playing as a RCB but as we needed the goals he pushed forward and was demanding the ball. Even Stevie was getting it close to the box but just passing it straight on to this lad.

While it might not sound or look the most imaginative midfield on paper, Can, Milner and Hendo would be hard to get past and would actually create more than people will have you believe.

[Fordy]

Milner, the problem is I could see Henderson loosing it completely destroying the lad.

And that's why he shouldn't be captain then. Not strong enough.

Milner will be captain as it stands I think with maybe Can or Hendo as vice captain.

However, really it should be Lucas but I doubt he will be here for next season.