Emre Can from Borussia Dortmund: does he solve Löw's defense problem?

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Dortmund professional Emre Can (r.), Opponent Lars Stindl on March 2nd: Stay cool, hit the hook, dribble

Photo: Federico Gambarini / dpa

Emre Can had the ball and the game ahead of him as his opponent charged him.

Gladbach's Lars Stindl tried to force him to take a long ball, but Can stayed cool, he put the ball past Stindl and increased the pace.

What happened next made the scene from the Dortmund Cup game in Mönchengladbach so interesting.

Can was looking for a teammate.

He found Jude Bellingham, and for a moment he seemed about to pass the ball to him.

But that would have been a mistake.

A defender was already stalking Bellingham's back, lurking on the pass and ready to intercept it.

But Can didn't play the pass.

Although the pressure was great, because behind him Stindl did not give up, and although Gladbachers built up in front of him, Can hit a hook and dribbled towards the middle of the field.

Then he shifted the ball outwards.

BVB kept the ball, Gladbach could not counter.

The ability to recognize danger

The scene may seem inconspicuous, but it shows a lot of what Emre Can, 27, is all about.

Offensive spirit and courage to dribble in tricky situations.

Technique and speed that dribbling demands.

But above all the ability to recognize possible dangers.

Avoiding the obvious and yet so threatening passport, not every professional footballer would have done.

As a young player, Can once stood out at the U17 World Cup in Mexico when he led the DFB team to the semi-finals: as a central midfielder who captured and distributed balls.

Later, too, at Liverpool and Juventus, among others, he was mainly used in midfield.

At Borussia Dortmund he currently plays in central defense, by necessity.

Even in the evening, when BVB plays in the top Bundesliga game at Bayern Munich, he should start in defense (6.30 p.m.; TV: Sky; live ticker SPIEGEL.de).

"Know that it is not his favorite position"

"We know that it is not his favorite position," said BVB coach Edin Terzić now in the "kicker", "but the situation was due to injury so that we had to tinker".

Actually, Manuel Akanji is playing alongside Mats Hummels in the defense center, but he is currently missing.

So Can helps out.

He has often done that during his career, especially in the national team jersey.

He was six there, but also right back and central defender.

Can has jumped between positions so often this season that Terzić recently joked that his player should have gloves ready in case the goal is hard.

Most recently, Can played three times in a row as a central defender at BVB.

The team won three times, each time to zero.

He's doing so well that he begs the question of whether the temporary worker shouldn't be promoted.

Whether Can not actually have to be a regular in the defense headquarters of the national team.

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Striding Can in the DFB jersey, here in a duel with Spain's Ferrán Torres

Photo: 

Pressefoto Rudel / Robin Rudel / imago images / Sportfoto Rudel

Because that remains a construction site for Joachim Löw three months before the EM.

Antonio Rüdiger is currently delivering one zero game after the other at Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel.

He should be set in the DFB team.

But next to him it gets thin.

Niklas Süle is going through a weaker season for his own terms, the national coach has sorted out Hummels and Jérôme Boateng (although the option of a return was recently left open), Matthias Ginter is a reliable but not an outstanding defender.

There remained candidates like Jonathan Tah, Lukas Klostermann or Robin Koch, who had actually been in row two so far.

So is Can the answer?

He can develop a force, on the ground and in the air, which usually results in winning the ball.

Statistically, of all DFB candidates, he managed to win the most balls in their respective league.

He dribbling the most by far, which is an underrated skill for defenders.

He plays ambitious passes even under pressure.

The fact that the only defender who does a little better than Can in almost every area bears the name Hummels should not go unmentioned.

But only Löw knows whether he is allowed to go to the EM.

The first to praise the teammate

Can also brings speed with him, against Bielefeld last Saturday he was the second fastest professional on the field according to Sky, only Erling Haaland (34.62 km / h) was faster than Can (33.13).

Of the DFB candidates, only Klostermann and perhaps Rüdiger are likely to be more nimble.

In the evening, against the fast-paced Bayern strikers, this pace will be required.

In addition, Can is happy to take responsibility.

He always offers himself as a passport recipient, speaks a lot on the pitch, and he can drive teammates on.

When the last vulnerable goalkeeper Marwin Hitz prevented the 0-1 with a parade in the cup against Gladbach, Can was the first to praise him.

That game also showed what Can was missing as a central defender.

It's little things.

In defensive one-on-one, he does not shift his weight enough on the balls of his feet to be able to change direction so quickly when the opposing striker is dribbling.

Can the light-footed go missing.

If it is not secured, it can be beaten by agile strikers.

Prone to surprises

Can's body position is not always optimal in opposing counter-situations as well as in wing attacks.

It happens that he leaves important areas of the playing field in the blind spot.

This makes him susceptible to surprises, an opponent suddenly appears in the field of vision and has a head start, because Can can only react.

That doesn't happen to him often during a game, but it does.

Can still do a very good job in defense - just like a tactically intelligent player fulfills a role for which he has not been trained.

Can works in defense because he makes good decisions.

As with the scene against Gladbach described at the beginning: He understood the game, you can tell that.

And yet he is left behind in comparison with the best defense specialists in this position.

That doesn't mean that Can won't play in defense if Germany plays at the European Championship, especially if Löw should decide to have three central defenders.

And this defense would be a good one, the DFB team would have a strong center to oppose France with Kylian Mbappé, Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Only: It would not be the best conceivable solution.

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