Why has this Brazilian remained so unpopular with some fans?

Lucas: to many Liverpool fans the name signifies a figure of fun, ridicule and scapegoat-ism.  To some: a player whose very existence fuels more ire than is logical.  A young man that arrived at Anfield with the tag ‘the Brazilian Steven Gerrard’ and came out the other side of the past 3 seasons being compared to something more akin to the Icelandic David May.  The question is: what is it that made him so unpopular with a section of his own supporters?  At what point in the first few months of his Liverpool career did a player with apparently so much promise come to be deemed the cause of all the teams’ ills?

As a prospect, Lucas is a promising young footballer.  As a player, he is an above-average youngster with a lot of top-level experience already.  He has played for one of the biggest clubs in his native Brazil before moving onto one of the biggest clubs in the world, and has played several times already for his country; even captaining the U21 side on numerous occasions, and all of this before his 21st birthday.  So surely his talent (or prospective talent) cannot be in question, as his 3 ‘full’ seasons as a Liverpool player he has played 83 games for club and country (78 for his club), scoring 4 times assisting in 11 goals.  For a player who usually (although, has on occasion played further forward) sits in what is, effectively, ‘the hole’ in front of the back four those are not bad stats at all.  They compare favorably to his usual partner in that deep, two-man midfield – Mascherano – with whom he often formed a very destructive partnership under Rafa Benitez, and who in the same period of time managed 132 games for club and country, with only 2 goals and 4 assists.  Some would argue that they are different players, with different roles and, ordinarily, that would be true.  However, under Benitez both players tended to occupy the same area of the field, with the same role and perhaps only slightly differing orders.  The fact remains however, that they played in the same area of the field, with similar success.  The difference being that Mascherano is feted as a master of his art.  Some would even say he is the best in his position in the world since Claude Makelele’s retirement.  Indeed, this would appear to be true, as the Opta stats for last season show that he was the most successful tackler in the Premier League, and managed close to 200 tackles and a success rate of 81%.  On the other hand, Lucas Leiva is not often seen so favourably and yet the stats show that for the same season, he played only 8 less games overall and yet managed to be the third most successful tackler in the League.  During the same season, his pass completion rate reached 84%, bettered only by one player.  Given that he was top at Christmas with 87% and his level dropped only 3% in the ensuing 5 months suggests he maintained a high-level all season long, and yet this again goes unnoticed.

On the other hand, he committed somewhere in the region of 60 fouls last season, picking up 9 yellow cards which may point to his lack of either discipline or experience in the position he currently occupies.  It may also go some way to explain why he is often cited as the prime reason for the first teams woes, as given the importance of the position he occupies, free-kicks, corners and penalties are all likely to lead to goal-scoring (and potentially game-losing) opportunities but blame cannot always lie solely with one player, as is the case in any sports team.

As already mentioned, his comparisons on arrival to Steven Gerrard will have done him no favours.  Comparing young, untried and unheard of players to legends of the game is a crime often committed by even the most experienced managers.  Xabi Alonso was only able to rise above such comparisons after it became obvious he was a totally different type of player, and quite a good one at that.  So comparing this rather expensive young Brazilian to the club’s captain – a man who had already attained near mythical status with his match-winning performances – will have already set alarm bells ringing in many fan’s minds (remember Diao, remember Diarra?).  Coupled with this, one of Lucas’s first major contributions was during a derby at Goodison where he had a huge hand in winning the game when coming on as a substitute… for his captain.  So, perhaps the suggestion by his former manager that he could someday be considered an equal to Steven Gerrard, simply meant to some supporters that he one day would replace him, and this signaled a threat to their hero.  Many a player’s fledgling career has crashed and burned thanks to un-warranted comparisons.  It would be unjust to let Lucas Leiva go the same way for comments made by others that may have riled some supporters.

The stats and facts then, would seem to point to a promising young midfielder, who is simply a victim of circumstance; wrong place, wrong time.  His ability going forward has yet to be fully tested but his assists/goals from such a deep-lying position show promise in this area.  In much the same way that his fouls/yellow cards suggest that he is not, by trade, a naturally defensive player.  This might suggest that Lucas has yet to find (or have found for him) his natural position.  Benitez preferred him in a ‘support’ holding role alongside Mascherano. While Hodgson – having already entrusted him with the captaincy a number of times in pre-season, ahead of senior players – may well prefer him in a role with more responsibility; somewhere further up-field, where he can demonstrate his passing and technique more.  Perhaps from here, in a more settle team, now that the transfer window has closed a few more outstanding performances may finally win over any remaining doubters.

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