Five things we learned during 1-0 win v Stoke City – Lallana, Benteke and more

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4) Emre Can has an important role to play this year

Where Brendan Rodgers did get it right today was with his substitutions. Bringing on Emre Can was a real game changer. We certainly didn’t look likely to lose the game from that moment on – something which looked a real possibility for a period either side of half-time.

The German offers something unlike anything any other member of the squad can do. He’s a big, physical presence, who is both strong an quick. He gets about the opposition players, disrupts the course of their attacks, and always has that capability to pick up the ball and stride forward.

It was a subtle change in formation, but it worked. Having started with a 4-2-3-1, the introduction of Can saw us move to 4-3-3. With Coutinho, and later Firmino, playing behind Benteke, there was a lot more fluidity of movement, something which eventually proved too much for Stoke to handle – with the former afforded all the time in the world to get his shot off for the winning goal.

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More Stories Adam Lallana Brendan Rodgers Christian Benteke Emre Can James Milner Joe Gomez Nathaniel Clyne