There he was again, the old Emre Can: deftly clearing the ball with his heel – right in front of his own penalty area. If it goes well, respect! Just like in the international match against France, Can’s display even led the DFB team.

But Borussia Dortmund fans also know the downside: Can’s dangerous tendency to show off often causes collective groans in the Dortmund stadium.

“Emre is a reflection of our first matches,” BVB coach Edin Terzic said before the tough win at SC Freiburg. The 29-year-old represents a tough new start for the almost-champion team of the 22/23 season, who now face the acid test against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League after four mediocre games and dropping points in the Bundesliga. (Tuesday at 21.00, detailed report on ZDF starting at 23.00 on Wednesday).

Can plays poorly most of the time and cannot yet provide the necessary structure and security to the shaky BVB game. For example, when opponents put up a tough fight, as in Bochum, they take their chances brazenly, as in Cologne, or even respond in a structured way, as in Heidenheim or, more recently, Freiburg.

Last season was completely different with a spectacular comeback that almost rewarded us with the title. The versatile Can led the way in duels as a strong, courageous and effective leader.

Going back to basics, this slogan was extremely good for Can: No more unnecessary duels, no more risky passes, if in doubt chase the ball towards the stands.

Dortmund’s number 23 has become a long-time favorite for the Black-Whites in his third year and has displayed his best half series in the BVB jersey. Many fans are still upset that Can was not allowed to take a penalty in the dramatic season finale against Mainz.

Like many of his teammates, Can is looking for form in the new season. With lack of self-confidence, the tendency to take risks returns. Four yellow cards in five competitive matches means a lot; In Freiburg, Can missed the red card in the first minutes of the match.

“We just need to manage to get the upper hand on the opponent in midfield,” said defense chief Mats Hummels. The fact that this is not possible for now is not only because of Can. Coach Edin Terzic could not find an answer as to how he wanted to compensate for the loss of quality resulting from the departure of Raphael Guerreiro and Jude Bellingham. The game idea is not clear yet.

The sturdy cleaner Can is often alone and needs protection. Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha have no help in the midfield yet. Foreign support also leaves much to be desired.

Also having a negative impact was the lack of a real training camp and little chance to practice automatism due to the PR trip to the USA.

Terzic has so far stuck to established structures. For example, during the storm, Sebastien Haller fell into the hole, which was much more likely after his illness. But also because of the system where Can often seems lost as a lower-ranked six. The fact that the coach promoted him to captain doesn’t make things any easier.

Can was left in the middle without any fault. Sporting director Sebastian Kehl wanted to bring Edson Alvarez from Ajax Amsterdam, who is four years younger than him, into the midfield before Terzic vetoed it.

However, the coach doesn’t seem fully convinced of his captain either. Otherwise he wouldn’t have taken him off the field so early in the season opener against Cologne or put him in the bottom three at Freiburg with the game in the balance.

The most important matches are played every Wednesday from 23:00. sportstudio.de And ZDFheute in the video.