A Deadly Duo who deserve many of the plaudits

No not Suarez & Carroll as you may have assumed from the title, but a less lauded, although equally effective pairing of Lucas Leiva and Jay Spearing. If you went on last night’s performance against Manchester City alone, Liverpool midfielders Lucas and Jay would be classed as some of the best players in their position in the world. After all, they hustled and harried the Manchester City midfield in submission until they gave up the ball, and they were both crucial in the Reds 3-0 victory. They were both a constant menace to the opposition, making the City players make rash decisions and enforcing mistakes they wouldn’t have otherwise made.

It certainly isn’t the prettiest part of a football match, but it is an essential part which needs to be won if you want your side to achieve victory. The really annoying thing for most Reds fans is the fact why they can’t do this every week against every opposition. Especially Anfield, and especially against top six opponents, the Reds seem to come alive. Their motivation to win is so much higher than it is against supposedly “lesser” opponents. It is a fact that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Lucas himself:

“The intensity of our game in the first half [against City] especially was amazing. Now we just have to try to play with that kind of character in every game. We know it is difficult but always in big games we seem to play better than in games in which we maybe think it will be a bit easier. Under Kenny we’ve won all the big games against United, City and Chelsea. We want to keep winning and get into a better position in the table.”

The fact that Lucas has mentioned this trend is not surprising for as one of the most consistent performers this season, he has noticed a certain lack of intensity from other players in other matches which they have been expected to win. Against Manchester City last night, he was at his best, harassing opponents and niggling away at City’s creative players so they didn’t have the time and space to play. Last night he was ably supported by Jay Spearing, Dirk Kuyt and the rest of the Liverpool team, but on occasions, such as against West Brom and West Ham recently, he has been overawed by the lack of pressing which has come from his team-mates. He cannot do everything by himself. He needs support. The addition of Jay Spearing into the midfield has certainly helped in this regard.