Another week has gone by in the Bundesliga, and another less-than-favorable result has widened the gap between Borussia Dortmund and the top teams in the Bundesliga. Currently sat in 7th, the gap between Bayern and Dortmund is already a healthy 7 points, putting the chance of silverware very much into question.
Away to Augsburg, more questions were raised regarding Dortmund’s approach this season under Nuri Şahin, as Dortmund slumped to a 2-1 away defeat. Current club captain Emre Can had a direct hand in this defeat, with his poor clearance acting as an assist for Alexis Claude Maurice’s second goal of the game.
In the pre-match press conference, Şahin addressed further questions regarding Can by stating that he backs his captain, and doesn’t see stripping him of the armband as beneficial for anyone, including Can himself:
"I don't know if I would strengthen someone if I took him out of the line of fire or took away his captain's armband. I see how he tries, how he deals with the team, how he is there despite his difficult sporting situation."Nuri Şahin
The actual nature of the captaincy is less so the issue than perhaps Can’s presence on the pitch, but because he is captain, at least for optics, not having him on the pitch can be seen as problematic. Can himself has been in a rut and therefore deserves to be sidelined without the expectation of his captaincy keeping him in the lineup by the strings of his armband.
Going into the game against Wolfsburg, Dortmund needs their strongest possible starting 11 on the pitch; a starting 11 that will get a result in what is likely the club's best chance for silverware this season. Based on injuries it may be inevitable that we see Can feature, but for both his sake as well as the club’s, it may be best to allow him time to get his game back on track before he plays a significant role moving forward.