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Liverpool rising star Emre Can played his first game for Die Mannschaft on Friday, playing all 90 minutes in their 3-1 victory against Poland which put them at the top of their group. German manager, Joachim Low, who had previously praised Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers for the strides the young player has made since arriving there from Bayer Leverkusen last season, made the interesting tactical choice to play Can as a right back. Liverpool fans will know that while Can has performed well in many positions across the pitch, he's shown a significant drop in form when asked to play as a fullback.
Can's versatility, while to his credit, could be seen as a detriment in some way, as Rodgers and now Low seem to slot the midfielder into whatever position is most needed at the time. Nonetheless, after the game, Low praised Can on his debut with the team, saying, "I was pleased with Emre’s first game [for Germany].
“It was not easy for him to withstand the pressure of playing the group leaders Poland, in his first game; he has done well.
“He is not a player who is used to playing in the right side of a back four. It was good to see him do well. He tackled well, showed strength and has a good passing game.
“It was a decent debut performance.”
Let's assume that "decent debut performance" is the stoic Low's version of high praise. Wherever he's playing, it's nice to see Can getting the call up to the senior squad. Germany takes on Scotland in Glasgow on Monday to complete September's round of Euro qualifiers. It's possible that we may see Can get another run out with the team.
