I was asked by the editor of our partner site The Busby Way, Chudi Onwuazor, about whether I thought Liverpool midfielder Lucas was better than their Brazilian midfielder Anderson. Below is the analysis of both of our respective players.
Anderson ( by Chudi)
Arrival – Anderson came to United with massive expectations and an equally big price tag. Hailed as the new Ronaldinho by those who had never seen him play before, that was already a huge weight of expectation on his young shoulders and in all honesty he hasn’t lived up to these expectations – yet.
Anderson’s time at Old Trafford has been tumultuous to say the least. He has put in some great performances against some of the country’s best midfielders spawning a song detailing him, Fabregas and something you might see in a Japanese skin flick.
Weaknesses – Those of us experiencing the highs of these performances were quickly brought down to earth in the Champions League final in 09 where he was made to look ordinary by Barcelona and their superstars but Xavi, Iniesta and co could have done that to most if not all and for me was all part of his learning curve.
For a young player his lack of consistency is no major concern, it happens but having already seen that he poses considerable talent I’m more interested in seeing him put together a strong run of appearances which he seems to be doing at the moment. He hasn’t been helped by injuries, supposed off field issues like the car crash this summer as well as uncertainty over his position but his attitude appears to be right and it is benefiting him as well as the team.
Strengths – Anderson has displayed his talent; he can pass, is very direct with his dribbling, is strong and can tackle. The only thing that is disappointing for me is his lack of goals, having only scored 3 (2 official) in his spell here is disappointing but as a player I feel he offers way more than Lucas, who to me is quite one-dimensional, and has a lot more to come.
Lucas
Arrival – In contrast to Anderson, Lucas was bought from Gremio for £6million, a small price compared to the amount that Manchester United paid Porto. The smaller fee didn’t necessarily dampen expectations though as he was the reigning Brazilian player of the year when he was purchased by Liverpool. Having already made his debut for Brazil, being Gremio’s captain as well as helping his team to the Copa Libertadores final, many felt that Rafa Benitez had got a bargain.
The first two seasons especially were very difficult for Lucas as he didn’t live up to expectations. The Anfield crowd got on his back and many questioned his continuing inclusion in the team. Unlike Anderson, who already had a spell in European football; with Porto, Lucas came straight from the slower pace Brazilian league, into the rough and tumble of English football. He was used to having time on the ball but now in the Premier League, he found himself rushed, miss-timing tackles and regularly misplacing passes. Added to this, Rafa had decided to convert the player from an attacking midfielder, (similar to Anderson) into a holding midfield player. It was a rocky transition which took years and has made it even more difficult for Lucas to settle in England.
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im a man u fan
Lucas is miles better
whats a man u fan doing on a liverpool fan site???
Lucas everytime , he is a much better player and is starting to really show his talent
I have to agree with your overall summary of both players….whether Anderson will fulfill his potential in another question….Lucas on the other hand is showing his ability and some….if he could add a run of goals to his repertoire I think we could have a special player on our hands….!!!!
whereas anderson is pretty much playing the same way he was playing when he first came, lucas has improved by leaps and bounds..
I think some of Lucas’s improvement is down to confidence. He was often weak in the past – weak in the tackle, weak in his ambition, weak in the shot. As he’s matured he’s started to realise he can dominate games, not in the same way as we’re used to from Alonso, Masch or Gerrard, but in his own way. That confidence in himself is building on each good performance and making him still stronger. Anyone else wonder if Lucas will be the guy to lift the World Cup in Brazil in 4 years time?
1 step at a time mate! but he is so much better, a lot of us ‘loyal’ fans owe im an apology – me included. same goes for dirk!
Watch lucas’s forword passes to maxi and the strikers they are accurate quick and direct and the odd through ball every 20 minutes is 4 times out of 5 very good – his tackliung and reading of interceptions and movement off the ball have all improved. If he keeps it up and can add goals to his game he will be regarded as one of the best centre midfield players in the premiership. Pass completion is already sh1t hot lets see some assits and goals
just heard on cnn the NESV have just spent $ 300 million on just two players for boston red sox
Lucas is actually more effective than Stevie G in the center of midfield…Gerrard leaves a hole everytime he makes forward runs and this is often exploited by the opposition at this level.
Lucas should be given the licence to make runs into the box as he used to…one of the finest box to box midfielders already for his age..and he also has good level of premiership and european footy experience…
If Lucas was English…Im sure we’d be going overboard about what a fantastic midfielder he has become…
he was only one of the best Dm in the Prem last year!
according to opta!
not sure why only now it’s been noticed….
oh yes rafa has gone!
seriously?!! rafa only bought, nurtured, had faith in him when we all wanted him out and gave him the experience we are all now benefiting from. are u andy gray in disguise?
Joe – that was my point!
next they will be saying how great zonal marking is and how fergie developed it..lol
All one big agenda against rafa and Lfc!
The sad thing is many of our skysports lfc fans bought into all bias and propaganda against our club!
otherwise Rafa would still be there and not Travel sick Roy !!
I’m still trying to workout this article, where we have been whether it’s quicker to walk or run? pointless!!
unless it’s just to highlight the fact Fergie could spend 3 times as much on player and still their fans and the media supported them, as compared to Lucas who we spent a third of that amount and has looked 3 times the player… yet
continued –
yet Lucas has been a for the media and our so called supporters!
then I see the reason for the comparison and only then!
Lucas is a different player now than the Lucas we saw back in 2007. He has made tremendous progress and has become a fine box-to-box central midfielder. Since Mascherano left his responsibility in midfield has become a lot more important and both his defensive and offensive side of his game has improved greatly. We can see that he is quite effective in breaking down the opposition’s play and intercepting passes while he is also a lot better now in distributing the ball. I can see Lucas as becoming an important player for us in midfield and it’s about time for fans to stop getting on his back. Also, if you look at the stats and his work rate, you will see how good he is and how hard he works for the team.
I really think Lucas will be an exceptional player and that his price tag will rocket. He’s really starting to show how good he his. I hope he continues to excel but I wonder what will happen against Fulham when Stevie comes back. Lucas/Meireles is a really good midfield partnership but surely gerrard will have to come back in… where will he go?
Lucas is not physically hard as rock, but mentally he far better than that, take all the criticism positively and has developed immensely!
He will further improve if partnered with Mierles and not Stevie.