Lucas is a very popular player at Liverpool, everybody likes him.
He is warm and engaging to the cameras, supportive to his fellow team mates (especially when they are injured or to the younger generation), he won the Community Award at the inaugural Liverpool FC Awards ceremony, he’s an inspiration to players who have come through difficult beginnings when joining the club, and let’s not forget he’s been a great player for us, winning the Player of the Year for the 2010-11 Season.
But things seem to have changed.
After valiantly fighting back from a career threatening cruciate knee injury, Lucas lost pace and acceleration in his game, two aspects which he wasn’t particularly strong in to begin with. He has suffered with further injuries, including a troublesome thigh injury, that allowed Fernandinho to take his place in the Brazil squad. Lucas will be devastated, even more so than Coutinho, that he is not on the plane to the World Cup. Furthermore, Steven Gerrard’s move back into the deep lying playmaker role, which he has absolutely excelled at, has meant Lucas lost his specialist place in the team.
While Lucas used to play as a box to box midfielder when he was younger, his lack of pace and dynamism now, and his unfamiliarity with the role, has meant he has struggled to affect games when playing in that role either in a midfield 3 or a diamond formation. With his injuries he is very much more suited to having the game played in front of him, where he can use his defensive positional sense to jockey for position or get a block in, and then his tidy passing to get the ball to more creative players like Coutinho. But he doesn’t have Gerrard’s stellar passing ability from deep, incredible vision to see the game or vocality to organise the other midfielders around him.
In mid-March I wrote an article highlighting the difficulty that Lucas would have in breaking back into the team. This proved well founded as Brendan Rodgers initially decided to keep him on the bench and tended to prefer Joe Allen when needed ahead of Lucas. Lucas had the odd small substitute role. Henderson’s ban and injury to Daniel Sturridge changed this.
With his usual spirit Lucas did his best to compensate for the loss of energy that Henderson’s suspension brought, a highlight being a lovely through ball to John Flanagan that led to the decisive penalty in the win against West Ham. However, while he still has solid quality on the ball, it is much more difficult for him to cover large amounts of ground now with any degree of dynamism, so that his trying to break forward at pace, or trying to quickly close down the opposition becomes a rather laborious process where the opposition has too long to react and respond.
Recent speculation linking Lucas to a move to Inter Milan is perhaps understandable. The slower more tactical approach to the game there may well suit him, and that he can play in his favoured defensive midfield role would suit him even more. Rumours that Liverpool are keen on Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can – a strong, powerful, primarily defensive minded midfielder, who could play box to box or as a holding midfielder – may also indicate that Brendan Rodgers also feels that Lucas is not able to perform to the level he wishes him to perform.
For me losing Lucas would be a great shame, but tough decisions needs to be made in football. I distinctly remember one of our worst results of recent years when we lost 4-0 at Spurs having had 2 players sent off. Even down to 9 men, in the last few minutes of the game, I saw Lucas sprinting to try and close down Spurs players, and shouting at his team-mates to pick themselves up. Lucas isn’t the best sprinter, and neither is he usually a vocal player on the pitch, and he must have been exhausted, but this showcased the character of a player that always gives his all and has won over so many Liverpool fans.
However, judged purely on this season’s performances, I don’t believe he should be starting many games for the Liverpool first team. But I do believe all the positives I mentioned at the beginning of the article, such as his support of injured and younger players, are not something that should be discarded so quickly.
Another important element for me is his great friendship with Luis Suarez. While Steven Gerrard played a big role in helping Luis stay, Lucas’ role was equal if not greater. Lucas was Luis’ first friend along with Maxi when he joined Liverpool, and their families regularly eat out together and do things together, joined in later years by the likes of Coutinho and other Latin players at the club. Guillem Balague has spoken of how Barcelona have kept Pinto on for many years primarily because his personality is good for the squad and he is very close to Messi. Could we have a similar situation here?
Furthermore, he could play in Carling Cup and FA Cup games and his professionalism, calmness and experience would be a big help to the younger players coming through. This could be seen in the comfortable 4-0 win against Shamrock Rovers. The young lads rightly got all the plaudits, in particular Jordan Ibe who set up two goals, but while Brad Jones was mysteriously given the Captaincy, there was no doubt the Leader on the field was Lucas, and unsurprisingly he played very well and helped the youngsters throughout the game.
Lucas’ time as a regular starter for Liverpool may be coming to an end, but I for one would be very sad to see him go.
You can catch more from me on my own blog: http://taintlessred.blogspot.co.uk/ or follow me on twitter: @taintlessred
Nice piece, Couldnt agree any less. T’will be a shameful thing to see Leiva go but its only because we eventually came to fall in love with him that brought us to this precarios situation about him ¬ because he’s so much a talented player (no disrespect to him about that).. Liverpool have alredy put themselves in the spot-lite- a position where we cant afford to have a bad performance- which makes the 14/15 season a serios & sensitive season for us… We dont want to be a 1-season wonder, we want to build on last season’s performance despite BR & the owners saying we peaked earlier than schedule.. In this kind of position, even Lucas himself should undstand that LFC have haboured him enough for more than 7-years since he came from Gremio & the team must move on to acquire better players… He improved in the 12/13 season but injuries made him look ordinary again like when he first joined us.. If he’s o.k to still contribute as a squad player, then no problem because LFC will wana compete on all fronts (F.A, UCL, EPL & even COC) but if he still wants to hold a first team jersey, then I think this is the right time for both parties to part ways… That said, I think Lucas Leiva had been a faithful servant to us and either he stays or leave, he’ll never walk alone
But that’s what I’m saying. He shouldn’t start for the first 11 but he’d be a handy squad player for cups, and helping youngsters if he’s willing to do that.
Hopefully if we get Emre can he’ll be a better replacement to come into the team hen needed. The main issue with my above suggestion us whether we can afford to keep him on the fringes with his high salary level.
He’s been injured for most of the season. I think we need him and his experience in the CL next season and the extra added games. Pot 3 is daunting .
If anything, the player who should be shipped out is mr Johnson and his huge contract coupled with ave/bad performences.
On another note, 101 goals scored, no league title. Let’s look at the defence, add defensive mf players please! Spunking 20 million plus on lalana is a waste of mega proportions.
No more premium pay for English players. Haven’t we paid enough? We were told to get lost with a 15 million bid for downing. Same went for the Geordie messiah….and scottish alonso.
Enough mismanagement in the club. Lalana, 10-15 million at most. Other than that, No thank you. One good season and we pay . It’s the joke that sadly keeps on running.
YNWA
He’d be a good squad player I think. I do think Lalana would be a decent signing but I actually can’t see him starting for us. We couldn’t drop Coutinho, Henderson, sterling or Sturridge. More likely he’d rotate. I’d rather we pay extra for Reus who would start.
Is this the Erin that spent the first season saying Rodgers was a waist of time and a joke. You’re opinion has zero credibility!!
lucas shd be retained as squad prayer coz lfc hs continueously suffered frm lack ov ateam depth & a leaky defence.leave all senior players,bring back suso,kelly,tiago,borini,&buy world class defenders.
Lucas has had his chances down the years, time to bring in fresh talent, mind you he does a good impression of a statue.
Not half as good as you impression of a clown.
Nothing but the same old crap.
So no brains wanted to sell Suarez but keep Lucas, keep those comedy comments coming mate. Absolutely hilarious!
Diego ‘Digger’ Souness
6 months ago
Rodgers has wasted all the good work of our youth team. Wisdom, Sterling, Kelly, Suso, Flanno & Robinson all nowhere to be seen, all have gone backwards. Rodgers is a cheque-book manager, he cant coach or motivate these lads so just signs more to ‘solve’ the problem. Its a disgrace to see these kids careers thrown away by an inept coach.
Your right I do still want Suarez gone. I would love to get 90million for him.
It’s a lot more then what he is worth.
What will you do in 3/4 years time when he is worth nothing?
OH BY THE WAY YOUR REPLY IS VERY MUCH LIKE THAT OF A BANNED POSTER.
I WONDER, WONDER, WONDER!!
Is Lucas’ time at Liverpool up?
Yes
No it’s not! He is going no where!
No brains is fixated on Lucas, how very embarassing. He’s going nowhere? His career’s been going nowhere you buffoon!
Really? You prob won’t remember it but near the start of December Gerrard got injured for about a month, Lucas stepped in and to the holding role with Allen and hendo in front of him. That midfield was fantastic for us, it was so good that a lot of people didn’t expect Stevie to walk back into the team.
Then again match of the day might not have showed the midfield set up so why should I expect you to have picked up on it yourself.
By the way the only thing embarrassing on this site is you.
If you think Suarez has any kind of loyalty to the club.
Lucas has done everything and more for this club. Sweat, blood and tears. You know nothing of this club if this is the kinda play you would just throw away.
So here we have it everyone, remember this article where ‘no brains’ sheep once again commented on his desire to sell Suarez our best player in years, scores brilliant goals and lots of them.
Time for no brains to be sent back to that asylum and throw away the key!!