Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has admitted it is hard to block out criticism, having come under fire from the media and supporters alike for his underwhelming season so far.

The German was one of the players to benefit most from compatriot Jürgen Klopp's tutelage last term, improving greatly when played regularly in his favoured central role.

In particular, Can produced a man-of-the-match performance in his first game back from an ankle ligament injury to help lift the Reds to a 3-0 Europa League semi-final second-leg win over Villarreal.

But the 23-year-old has struggled to replicate such form this term, with Georginio Wijnaldum's inclusion in midfield leading to more fluid, controlled and cohesive performances.

One such was Liverpool's last, a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur which reasserted their top-four credentials and restored a much-needed positive atmosphere around the club.

And Can's ponderous displays made him a lightning rod for criticism as Liverpool endured a poor run of form since the turn of the year that saw them win just one of 10 and crash out of both domestic cup competitions.

He admitted that it's "not easy to ignore what people are saying", insisting that players "naturally tend to read the newspapers and speak to friends and a lot of people in the city" who "want to talk about football."

"It's not easy to ignore but we have to try and do that because it's the best way to focus on the games ahead," declared the Germany international.

Can said that "the most important thing" is that the Liverpool squad "stick together" and that they do so when they have "good performances" or "bad performances."

Liverpool midfielder says team can "come back stronger" from poor run of results

Can echoed the message of fellow midfielder and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who issued a rallying call with his teammates unbeknownst to Klopp in a private player's meeting prior to the Spurs game.

He said that the manager has also pulled together his players at times, labelling Klopp a "very positive guy" and saying he has "been encouraging us and trying to help us have a positive frame of mind so that everybody believes and thinks positively again."

Can admitted that the Reds, throughout their poor patch, have "had a lot of meetings" in which Klopp has tried "to motivate us" because they "cannot forget the good times we have had this season."

"We are fifth in the league, one point off fourth, which is not too bad in a strong league," the Reds' No.22 continued, though he noted that they "know how quickly things can turn around in football."

He vowed that Liverpool "have to stay together, be one team and look forward" as he looked back upon the "so many good times" the team enjoyed "in the first-half of the season."

Can feels that "nobody thought" the Merseyside outfit would start the campaign so strongly, adding that they "can learn a lot from the past month and come back stronger."

He said that the internal target within the group has "always been to finish in the top-four" of the Premier League because "playing in the Champions League is always the target."

Can is part of the 25-man squad who travel to La Manga in south east Spain for a five-day warm weather training camp as Liverpool look to make the most of their break until Leicester City on Monday, 27 February.

On their time away, Can said that the team "have more time to train" and said he is "sure" they will "make the opportunity to spend that time working on different things to try and improve."

But he declared that he would much rather be "playing more games", noting that while "training is good" he prefers "going out to play matches" in front of the club's "amazing" supporters.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Charlie Malam
Digital Sports Writer at the Daily Express. First-class Staffordshire University Sports Journalism graduate. Formerly VAVEL UK's Liverpool FC editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. Contributor since June 2014.