Emre Can One of the Few Positives in Liverpool Defeat to Chelsea

"Can the man" read the headline of an article in the Liverpool matchday programme for the visit of Chelsea to Anfield on Saturday, asking the German about life on Merseyside since his £10 million arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

The 20-year-old made his third Premier League start for the club against Chelsea, coming days after a good showing at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid.

Indeed, Can was the only "reserve" player to keep his place in the side and the only change from the side that had lost at Newcastle a week earlier, replacing Joe Allen alongside Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson in midfield.

Withdrawn after 70 minutes as his lack of fitness began to show, his substitution—along with Philippe Coutinho's—was met with boos of derision from the Anfield crowd, clearly unhappy that arguably the two best performers on the day were being replaced.

From a defeat that made it three in a week for Brendan Rodgers' side and just one Premier League win since the last international break in mid-October, Can's performance overall was one of the few positives to take from the game for Liverpool.

Physical Presence

Arriving into a new league, country and culture at a young age always means a player's early days are mitigated by settling in at the club. The likes of Can, Lazar Markovic and Javi Manquillo, all aged 20, were clearly signed with the future in mind more than this season itself.

Speaking in the matchday programme, Can recognises the challenge of adapting to English football. "I have realised you have to win the physical challenges before you can win the technical challenges," he explained, citing his full debut at Queens Park Rangers as a prime example of the differences between Premier League and Bundesliga football.

The irony is that Can was included in Rodgers' starting XI against Chelsea to provide the physical presence needed against a Chelsea side featuring Nemanja Matic in the engine of their midfield.

Jon Super/Associated Press

"The plan was to play Emre because of the physicality of Chelsea," explained Rodgers post-match. "They're a big team with physical presence."

Rodgers' substitution of Can was met with frustrations from the crowd, but he was visibly fading in the game as lack of fitness caught up with him, just as it had days before in Madrid.

"Emre's coming back to fitness; he's been out for a little bit of time and he's getting the game time and doing very well. I thought he looked strong, took his goal very well," Rodgers said. 

"[He is] a young player who's getting to grips with the league, and he's looking very good in training and in the games."

Can's energetic style means he is susceptible to tiring in games, and once he builds up his stamina, he certainly offers a powerful option in the heart of Liverpool's midfield.

Eye for Goal

Can's goal was somewhat fortuitous due to the deflection it took, but Chelsea can blame themselves for backing off the midfielder—who had offered a warning shot from a similar range in the opening minute (on that occasion the deflected shot looped over the bar).

Can's goal and the opening 10 minutes as a whole saw Rodgers' side briefly returning to their impressive ways of last season: dominating possession, taking the game to their opponents and pressing energetically. Can was at the heart of that.

The goal itself saw 24 passes and 10 players involved (Mario Balotelli was the only one not involved in the buildup). 

"

Emre Can's goal featured a build up of 24 passes, and featured ten #LFC players (@AnfieldIndex @paul_tomkins) pic.twitter.com/j9EBiUd1SB

— Andrew Beasley (@BassTunedToRed) November 8, 2014"

Future

Can is a versatile player who will appeal to Rodgers and also ensure he has maximum opportunity to continue his development at a young age. He is widely regarded as a holding midfielder but has also played at left-back previously with Bayer Leverkusen. He's also lined up at centre-back for Germany's under-21s.

Thus far, he hasn't been trusted to play the holding role for Liverpool, used ahead of Gerrard alongside Henderson to offer the energy and pressing in midfield.

Will Can eventually be a successor to Gerrard in the deeper role, or will he become a more orthodox box-to-box midfielder? Only time will tell, but he has the technical and physical attributes to play either.

The former incumbent of the No. 23 shirt at Anfield, Jamie Carragher, profited similarly from such versatility before making centre-back his own spot, and Can looks set to follow a similar pattern at Anfield.

*Quotes collected first-hand unless stated.

Follow @mattladson