Emre Can thinks Liverpool’s performances have been good enough to warrant a higher position in the Premier League table, but admits that consistency is a massive issue.
Liverpool have put in sensational performances against Manchester United in the Europa League and Manchester City domestically, but our collapse away to Southampton last time out makes a mockery of it – and confirms underlying squad problems.
“We still have to play one, two matches more than the teams ahead of us, we can still gain a few spots,” Can told Kicker, reported in the Echo. “So we have achieved something under Jurgen Klopp.
“You should not look at the standings, [Klopp is] one of the best managers in the world.
“You should look at the football we have played in recent weeks. We’ve made a huge step forward as a team and have put in good performances most of the time.
“A place in an international competition clearly has to remain our goal,” he added. “Our problem is that we are just not consistent enough.
“We follow up two good matches with one bad match too often. We need to manage to be consistent for a longer period of time. This also applies to me [but] it automatically comes with age and experience.”
The German’s hit the nail on the head, really. Liverpool under Klopp are better than a ninth place Premier League side, but in many respects the table doesn’t lie – and reflects our inability to follow up excellent wins with solid three pointers. We’ve won only five league games at Anfield this term – an abysmal record.
Can though has been excellent on a personal note for a few months now, and criticism of his role in our central midfield has stopped.
At 22-years-old, he’s the potential to develop into one of the best holding players in the top flight, and we hope his improvement continues at the current rate.