Weaknesses – Unfairly touted as the replacement for Xabi Alonso in some quarters, his long range passing was nowhere near the standard of his former Spanish team-mate and he played a similar role in the team to Javier Mascherano, which frustrated many Liverpool fans. With Alberto Aquilani either injured or ill for the majority of last season, Lucas was picked alongside Mascherano on many occasions, but the similarity in both player’s games, led to very defensive team without any supply to Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres further up the field. Out of the two, Lucas was the worst tackler and passer leading many to question why he was in the side at all. He was however still in transition from a more attacking midfield role, as at his time at Gremio he had been used to making forward runs and arriving late in the box to finish passing moves rather than holding the fort in midfield. Lucas however rallied by the end of last season and was rewarded with Liverpool’s young player of the year. Time in the English football has seen him develop as a player and he was gradually getting used to the holding midfield role.
Strengths – The transformation from Lucas in 2007 to Lucas in 2010 has been quite astonishing. No longer the butt of jokes by Reds fans and used as a scapegoat for every poor Liverpool performance, he has evolved this season into becoming one of Liverpool’s most consistent performers. Much of this has to be credited to his mental strength for after years of being derided for his poor performances; he has never gone hiding on the pitch and has always looked to get on the ball. The departure of Javier Mascherano has seen the Brazilian step up to the plate as the Reds sole midfield destroyer. Not only is he tackling better and intercepting opposition attacks with aplomb, his pass completion stats are exceptional, and he barely gives a stray pass to team-mates. Many of the passes are short and square, but he has begun this season to be more expansive, passing forward rather than backwards. Two man of the match performances against Chelsea and Aston Villa have seen Lucas perform a remarkable turn around in regards to popularity among Reds fans. People want Lucas and Raul Meireles to be the first choice midfield partnership now; this time last season, they wouldn’t have wanted him anywhere near the first team squad, let alone the starting eleven.
Overall – Currently Lucas is a fair way ahead of Anderson in terms of developing his game. Anderson may have a good deal more natural ability than Lucas, but the high work ethic, strong mental character and solidity that Lucas gives his team, makes him, for me, the better player at the moment.
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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.