Liverpool are at Crystal Palace on Sunday and, though Emre Can joined the club only in the summer, he has no difficulty in remembering the significance of events at Selhurst Park last season. Leading 3-0 with just over 10 minutes to play, Liverpool were pegged back late in the game through trying to improve their goal difference, a 3-3 draw effectively ending their title challenge.
“I watched the game in Germany,” the 20-year-old midfielder says. “I think the first contact between Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen had been made, so naturally I took an interest in how they finished the season. At that stage I wasn’t sure I would become a Liverpool player but I liked the way they played. I thought they were very unlucky at Palace.”
The interpreter Can is using breaks out laughing at this point, because the intensifier his client actually used was considerably earthier than the word “very”, and the player starts to laugh too. He knows a few words of English, enough to get by, and the interpreter can confirm he knows how to express himself in both English and German. He did not have to come to England, he was doing well enough at Leverkusen to raise the possibility of Bayern Munich buying him back but, when Brendan Rodgers got in touch, he realised he wanted to accept the challenge.
“I have always liked English football and believed I would be suited to it,” he says. “I think it is the best league in the world to watch, possibly the strongest league, too. The conversation I had with Brendan Rodgers helped sway me, I could see he thought highly of me, but to be honest as soon as Liverpool showed interest it was a no-brainer. What I like about English football is that it is very quick, very physical. You hardly have time to breathe. That suits my game, and I haven’t been disappointed. The one thing I learned very quickly is that you have to be physically 100% ready to play in England.”
Can’s Liverpool career did not get off to quite the start he wanted, with a couple of early injuries delaying his first-team progress, but he has now played against Real Madrid and scored a goal against Chelsea, so he is up and running. “The goal gave me a confidence boost, especially after struggling a little bit at the start of the season,” he says. “I was never quite 100% fit for the first couple of months, and as I say, in England that can be crucial.”
Speaking at the Academy facility in Kirby as part of a first team visit to “inspire, educate and encourage the club’s young players and reinforce Liverpool’s One-Club philosophy”, Can says Steven Gerrard gave him some advice before the Chelsea game. “He told me it was a big game but it was my turn to shine,” he says. “I see myself as a similar player to Steven but I don’t know if I’ll ever match all the success he has had. He has had a great career and is still playing very well. I like playing next to him, he helps me out and looks after me, like a big brother. I hear people say he is past his best but he is still very influential. I don’t think he keeps getting in the team because his name is Steven Gerrard. He gets picked because of his performances on the pitch.”
Gerrard has retired from international football now. Frankfurt-born Can has played at all the youth levels for Germany, after resisting the temptation to opt for Turkey through family connections, but has yet to appear for the senior national side. “I don’t know why that is. I have never had a conversation with the German national coach,” he says. “I don’t believe coming to England will affect my chances. Last season I played for one of the best teams in Germany and didn’t get the call. I could still declare for Turkey, where it might be easier to get a game, but if I am good enough I would rather play for Germany instead.”
