Lucas says Liverpool are struggling in the former midfielder’s absence
It’s been a strange season for Liverpool so far, with Brendan Rodgers getting sacked after a couple of months, then managing to replace him with one of the top men in Europe, Jurgen Klopp. Since then we’ve had some incredible highs, such as beating Man City and Chelsea, to the lows of losing away to a poor Newcastle and succumbing to newly-promoted Watford.
And despite the season already hitting an anti-climax, there has been remarkably little mention of former captain and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, who only left the club for LA Galaxy over the summer.
However, former team mate and Reds stalwart Lucas Leiva has spoken today of how much Liverpool miss the midfield star and have struggling to truly fill the void he left at the club.
Speaking to SportsMail on Christmas Day, Lucas said: “It was a big thing for us.
“Every week, every month — this is the last derby of Stevie, this is the last home game. Because he is a good guy, a fantastic person, we felt the same way as the fans. He was our leader, the captain. So many times he stepped in front of the team and took responsibility.
“Like the fans I think we prepared ourselves for him not being there at the start of pre-season. We had a nice trip to Dubai — all the players — to say goodbye. We prepared it as a kind of surprise for him. We’d never done that before. We did it to show how much he would be missed. How much he means to us.
“But his locker was left free and nobody took the No 8 either. I don’t think people will take that number. I wouldn’t. It’s a big responsibility.”
For a player many fans didn’t take to at first, as many suspected he was brought in to replace Gerrard initially, Lucas seemingly had a great relationship with Gerrard and still speaks with respect of the 35 year old.
And for many, since the former captain left, there has been a great absence in leaders on – and off – the field, with only Lucas and Jordan Henderson really standing out.
The Brazilian continued: “They (Carragher & Gerrard) were tuned into the city. So not having them, of course, was a big change, especially Stevie. He announced in January but until that point we didn’t know it was coming.
“Not having him, the club and the squad have had to find a way to try to fill the gap. Because it’s a huge one. It’s impossible to replace him but collectively we have had to find a way.”
Will the club ever truly replace Gerrard, or should the aim be to fill the midfield with quality players, rather than simply trying to replace the former captain? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
