Lucas could start at centre back tomorrow but is more likely to start in midfield
Lucas Leiva – This choice comes straight out of left field, purely because there are other options, but whenever he’s taken his place at centre back this season (and usually as captain) Lucas has been a massive success. The 29 year old midfielder has been something of a revelation in that role when he’s played there on a number of occasions and his experience and long service could see him get the surprise nod.
It would be quite unfair to compare Lucas’ stats to those of the likes of Toure and Skrtel, as Lucas has more games than most (29) this season, not to mention the fact the majority of those have been played in midfield, so the player will have much more favourable stats for tackling, short-passing, etc.
But the fact that Lucas has won a couple of man of the match awards from this starting position should come as no surprise as, like Toure, he exudes calmness and assuredness and that is a massively important trait that can’t really be measured by statistics.
We find it quite unlikely that Lucas will start at centre back tonight, particularly as a favourable result will be sought for the second leg. And the absences of both Jordan Henderson and Emre Can, along with Kevin Stewart’s absence from the Europa League squad, mean Lucas is much more likely to partner either Joe Allen or James Milner at the heart of midfield, perhaps even both of them.
So, all things considered (and with rumours taken into consideration) it looks as if Kolo Toure is the odds on favourite to take Sakho’s place and Lucas may start in a midfield three.
It may seem obvious on paper, but don’t underestimate Klopp’s faith in our Brazilian midfield as, had Henderson and Can both been available tonight, we may have been seeing a Lovren/Lucas pairing. And considering how many times he’s surprised us this season, the manager may still do.
