Liverpool fans were right to heap praise on German midfielder Emre Can as he put in one hell of a shift on Thursday night to help his side progress to the Europa League final.
Many feel that he was more deserving of the man of the match award than Daniel Sturridge, but it had been reported in the press that the former Bayer Leverkusen man would be out for the remainder of the season, so his availability for the match against Villarreal was a pleasant surprise.
Speaking to LiverpoolEcho.co.uk, Emre Can revealed that extremely hard work is what got him back on the pitch so quickly, and if Liverpool fans didn't think highly enough of him already, they surely will now.
I put in a lot of work. I didn’t have one day off in three weeks.
Every day I was at Melwood for seven or eight hours, doing everything I could to get fit for this game.
I am so happy that I could play. I only found earlier in the day that I would be starting. The manager spoke with me and asked me if I was fit. I told him I was ready.
Emre Can is one of many Liverpool players who has shown a clear improvement under Klopp, and he believes his fellow German's favoured style of play is what is making the difference.
Jurgen Klopp has changed a lot of things. You can see how we press the game. That’s a big factor – our counter-pressing. Every manager has a different style and this one works well for us. We have a lot of belief.
Should Liverpool manage to beat Sevilla in the Europa League final then a place in the Champions League awaits them next season, something which was considered impossible when the German took over from Brendan Rodgers.
