Borussia Dortmund’s Emre Can handed two-game suspension

Borussia Dortmund’s Emre Can handed two-game suspension

 

Borussia Dortmund’s games against Mainz in the Bundesliga have become a sort of litmus test that can act as a great indicator in terms of where the squad is in terms of performance and development. Unfortunately for Die Schwarzgelben, they’ve failed this test on the last four occasions. From the game that lost Dortmund the Bundesliga title, to the December re-match that followed which underlined how flat Dortmund was under then-head coach Edin Terzić in the first half of the 2023/24 season, to the two subsequent losses since, Dortmund’s games against Mainz have almost become symbolic of their struggles.

In the case of this weekend’s past fixture, Dortmund’s 3-1 loss quite aptly highlighted an issue that Dortmund has been struggling with for some years now; the unpredictable nature of Emre Can. Made captain under Terzić, Nuri Şahin chose to continue with the German international as the leader on the pitch, which has only really worked to create an awkward situation for the young head coach. Can’s struggles have made it so that the player has found himself on the bench on more than one occasion, but the armband, and now the slew of injuries Dortmund faces deem it necessary that Can feature.