Emre Can: The 'Firehead' Dortmund have been lacking since the days of Matthias Sammer
Emre Can has been a revelation this season, finally fulfilling the potential that the likes of Matthias Sammer have seen in him many years ago.
It was the 32nd minute, and Germany were in deep trouble against Belgium. The Red Devils were relentless, threatening to tear apart a very experimental national team put together by Hansi Flick. Already down 2-0, wave upon wave of attacks were thrown at Marc-André ter Stegen’s goal. With Germany on the verge of collapse, Flick reacted by bringing on Emre Can for Florian Wirtz.
That substitution had an immediate impact. With Can as the quarterback, playing between the lines almost like a libero of old, Germany were more robust in defense and also more structured in the attack. Not surprisingly, the German magazine Kicker remarked after the international break that Can was among the few winners of the two test matches against Peru (2-0) and Belgium (2-3).
Not surprisingly, Flick, too, was full of praise for the 29-year-old midfielder. “Emre Can showed that he is quality,” Flick said. “He was the aggressive leader we needed, won many direct duels, and woke up the team.”
Within the German national team hierarchy, Can might now have passed Bayern Munich midfielder Leon Goretzka, who was once again disappointing for Germany over the last two games—an impressive development and fascinating on top of that in the context of Bayern facing Dortmund in the most important Klassiker in recent history on Saturday.
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