Despite what some angry Liverpool fans might argue, Emre Can is not “that type of player”.
Barely play football the right way round? Has his flaws but that statement is stupid. You really shouldn't be in charge of this a/c buddy 👏👏
— Keith Hanley (@Ethanryan) May 1, 2017
By “that type of player”, we mean the type of player who can contort his body into a near impossible position to guide a jaw-achingly, ball-droppingly really good bicycle kick into the goal.
He did it Monday night against Watford when he got on the end of a beautifully floated Lucas Leiva dinked cross (yeah, also not the type of player) and flipped his long frame to make a perfect connection with his right foot.
An aggressive, athletic midfielder, the German can pass it a little, tackle a little and is capable of shooting from distance, but nobody – not the Watford defenders, not the commentators on Sky Sports, not even his own manager – expected him to do what he did.
The Watford fans behind the goal were as shocked by Emre Can's goal as everyone else https://t.co/wqHvvKTYZC
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 1, 2017
Upside down, he still curled the ball beyond a stunned Heurelho Gomes into the top corner of the Watford goal.
Jurgen Klopp was as gobsmacked as anyone.
“I would like to say I am used to it, but that is not the truth. Especially from Emre,” he told Sky Sports.
“It is very important that Emre is mature and he has done really well in the last few weeks. He has a lot of good performances. But he can play better than he did tonight, but it’s not true he can score a better goal.”
WATCH: Jurgen Klopp reacts to Emre Can's wonderful bicycle kick. 🚲 Brought to you by @bet365 https://t.co/EstbjAdI5T https://t.co/CA96ofYGu5
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 1, 2017
The man himself did not disagree.
“I never scored a goal like that,” said Can as he accepted the man of the match award. “It’s the best goal I have ever scored.”
