I think most fans would concede that Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva is not producing his best for right now, and Reds legend Mark Lawrenson believes the injury-plagued Brazilian has 'hit a wall' at Anfield this season.
In his column for the Liverpool Daily Post this week, Lawro revealed his concerns about Lucas's current form, arguing that he 'struggled' in Liverpool's recent 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. He observed:
"He [Lucas] is levelling out a bit after being out for so long. When you first return, you get by on adrenalin, it all looks easy and then you hit a wall.
"Lucas is suffering from not having a full pre-season. I don’t care who you are, but you can’t not have a pre-season and not have problems.
"Lucas may have trained all through summer, but he went missing so early into the season that it is hard to catch up, particularly at this stage of the campaign"
Lucas also struggled against West Ham at the weekend. His passing and positioning were (arguably) not up to scratch, but despite his current reservations, Lawro ultimately believes that the midfielder will be 'back to his best' next season.
Even if that's the case, I personally think it's a mistake to rely solely on Lucas next season. The club definitely needs another defensive midfielder, but will Rodgers buy someone, or will he continue to use Joe Allen as cover?
Allen and Lucas are too similar (IMO), and the club needs someone with real physical presence to offer something different in midfield. I suspect, however, that Rodgers will persist with Allen/Lucas sharing the position, and if he does that, it will almost certainly prove to be a major mistake.
Prior to his injuries, Lucas put in some imperious performances for Liverpool, but the question is, even *if* he gets back to that level, is the Brazilian's style and impact the best fit to take the club to the next level (i.e. Champions League places, and ultimately the league title) ?
Lucas has signed a new long-term deal at Anfield, but Mohamed Diamé put in another good performance against the Reds on Sunday, and a player of his type would be a valuable addition to the Liverpool squad, and much-needed competition for Lucas.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
In his column for the Liverpool Daily Post this week, Lawro revealed his concerns about Lucas's current form, arguing that he 'struggled' in Liverpool's recent 2-1 victory over Aston Villa. He observed:
"He [Lucas] is levelling out a bit after being out for so long. When you first return, you get by on adrenalin, it all looks easy and then you hit a wall.
"Lucas is suffering from not having a full pre-season. I don’t care who you are, but you can’t not have a pre-season and not have problems.
"Lucas may have trained all through summer, but he went missing so early into the season that it is hard to catch up, particularly at this stage of the campaign"
Lucas also struggled against West Ham at the weekend. His passing and positioning were (arguably) not up to scratch, but despite his current reservations, Lawro ultimately believes that the midfielder will be 'back to his best' next season.
Even if that's the case, I personally think it's a mistake to rely solely on Lucas next season. The club definitely needs another defensive midfielder, but will Rodgers buy someone, or will he continue to use Joe Allen as cover?
Allen and Lucas are too similar (IMO), and the club needs someone with real physical presence to offer something different in midfield. I suspect, however, that Rodgers will persist with Allen/Lucas sharing the position, and if he does that, it will almost certainly prove to be a major mistake.
Prior to his injuries, Lucas put in some imperious performances for Liverpool, but the question is, even *if* he gets back to that level, is the Brazilian's style and impact the best fit to take the club to the next level (i.e. Champions League places, and ultimately the league title) ?
Lucas has signed a new long-term deal at Anfield, but Mohamed Diamé put in another good performance against the Reds on Sunday, and a player of his type would be a valuable addition to the Liverpool squad, and much-needed competition for Lucas.
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
I really want Diame.
ReplyDeleteI concur! Allen is defensively suspect. Diame also provides the kind of dynamism most of our central mids don't or can't.
ReplyDeleteLucas struggled, actually was bossed off the pitch, against Diame the first time we played them and it happened again at the weekend. I can't for the life of me understand why he didn't play Gerrard in the defensive role. He's done it early in his career and although not his best position, he could move their occassionally when needed this season. Lucas has just signed a new deal which is fine by me but I really hope this doesn't mean we won't sign someone like Diame or Wanyama in the summer.
ReplyDeleteDiame is just immense. He would offer a completely different dimension to our midfield. Pace and power. Something we are sorely missing. Now that Gerrard has adapted his game somewhat and isn't making those powerful forward runs he use to someone like Diame would be ideal in my mind. He would also cost a relatively small amount. Absolute bargain I feel.
ReplyDeleteI think Lucas if suffering from the aftermath of his injuries. He was really good for KD before his injury. I think next season after a good rest and pre-season he will be much better.
ReplyDeleteBut we still need a strong midfield presence in the middle of the park. Diame would be excellent. As for Allen, we don't need him if I am honest.
if lucas has struggled allen as been none existent we need cover or some one to challenge lucas allen is surplus to requirements so imo if we sell one to get in another allen has to go
ReplyDeleteditto
ReplyDeleteLucas will get to his very best next season and his not at that level yet were he bossed the midfield against man city last season when he made Yaya Toure look like a kid but we still need a CDM this season e.g M'villa from Rennes thats if his available,Diame,Camacho, all these are good CDM's big,strong and can bully sturbbon defences like stoke and west ham i would be pleased if BR buys one of these for less than 10 m,not the welsh Xavi overated by his manager but i still have confidence that he will recapture his early season form next season but not as a CDM but as a CAM,and we should buy one of these quality defenders like:A.Williams from Swansea,De Vjril from Ajax,Alderweird from PSV for a decent fee of 10m and hope they settle in quickly and also buy a quality winger and a midfielder and a top class striker and also a left back and bring back carrol and use him as an impact sub and start him in cup games imagine a dream team of( Reina,Johnson,Williams/Alderweird,Agger,Enrique,Eriksen/Honda ,Gerrard,Lucas/Diame/M'villa,Countinho,Sturridge/Diego Lopez,Suarez)subs:Henderson,Carrol,Downing,Kelly,Allen.LOAN OUT:,Suso,Sterling,Borini.Sell:Skirtel since he wants to leave,Coates because BR hates him so it benefits both parties,Assaidi,Pacheaco.if we have that starting 11 by GOD's grace we can win the premier league and UEFA thats my opinion am being optimistic
ReplyDeleteM'Villa has gone to Rubin Kazan unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteDe Vrij is at Feyenoord, not Ajax. Alderweireld is at Ajax, not PSV. M'Villa changed clubs in January and Lucas never made anyone look like a kid in his life. Except for maybe his own kids. If he has any.
ReplyDeleteWhat's being said about Allen now is what was said about Henderson last season and about Lucas the one before that. Let's see how he works out next year. They can't all start anyway and I'm happier with the likes of Henderson, Lucas and Allen as squad players than I ever was about many that have gone before them.
ReplyDeleteJust to emphasise that a bit. Tom Cleverley and Danny Wellbeck have featured in a combined 42 league matches this season for the chamions elect. Just saying, they can't all be, nor do they need be, world beaters.
ReplyDeleteThat's very true Eric. Interesting to see who we are going to sign this summer and who will leave.
ReplyDeleteLucas will get to his very best next season and his not at that level yet were he bossed the midfield against man city last season when he made Yaya Toure look like a kid but we still need a CDM this season e.g M'villa from Rennes thats if his available,Diame,Camacho, all these are good CDM's big,strong and can bully sturbbon defences like stoke and west ham i would be pleased if BR buys one of these for less than 10 m,not the welsh Xavi overated by his manager but i still have confidence that he will recapture his early season form next season but not as a CDM but as a CAM,and we should buy one of these quality defenders like:A.Williams from Swansea,De Vjril from Ajax,Alderweird from PSV for a decent fee of 10m and hope they settle in quickly and also buy a quality winger and a midfielder and a top class striker and also a left back and bring back carrol and use him as an impact sub and start him in cup games imagine a dream team of( Reina,Johnson,Williams/Alderweird,Agger,Enrique,Eriksen/Honda ,Gerrard,Lucas/Diame/M'villa,Countinho,Sturridge/Diego Lopez,Suarez)subs:Henderson,Carrol,Downing,Kelly,Allen.LOAN OUT:,Suso,Sterling,Borini.Sell:Skirtel since he wants to leave,Coates because BR hates him so it benefits both parties,Assaidi,Pacheaco.if we have that starting 11 by GOD's grace we can win the premier league and UEFA thats my opinion am being optimistic
ReplyDeleteI reckon BR will be starting with Joe Allen next season with Lucas. Have a funny feeling he will again try to get rid of Henderson. Don't know what will happen with Shelvey. I think he will bring in another CM as well.
ReplyDeleteIf Rodgers' first choice midfield partnership next season is Lucas-Allen, then it will show, for me, that he is not the right manager for LFC. They are not suited to each other; they're too similar in style/physically, and neither offers any discernible attacking threat. You can get away with one player like that in midfield, but not two, especially if you're hovering around midtable and trying to break into the top four (and ultimately win the league)
ReplyDeletewell then you will have to hope he drops lucas because you can bet your bottom dollar allen will be back starting next season if rodgers is still in charge;-)
ReplyDeleteIt could possibly work if Gerrard is positioned significantly further up the pitch. However it's inevitable that Gerrard is that third midfielder in the mix, and my worry is that they are all seemingly untouchable. I'll credit BR for dropping Allen, but whenever someone like Hendo or Suso is in the team, I feel it's only a matter of time before Rodgers' 'preferred' players are selected once more.
ReplyDeleteHey Fdot m that just shows that you dislike Lucas what i meant by saying that he made yaya look like a kid was that at several occassions yaya made some great,promising surge runs that Lucas intercepted,cut out the attack and won back the ball,made several tackles that yaya could nt break through it happened that yaya fell on the ground after loosing the ball like a locomotive train hit his back after a quality timed tackle from lucas,if it had nt been for the heroics by Hart we could have put city to the sword.true or false?dint vincent kompany admitt that we were the better side and was anxiously waiting for the final whistle to blow because we out classed them
ReplyDeletenext years midfield should be; Lucas, Alonso and Gerrard. if we dont get alonso then Lucas, Henderson Gerrard. but I agree next year it will be Lucas Allen and Gerrard. To be honest gerrard is great going forward but if he does a bursting run these days he relies on the other midfielders, which is right to break up play, Lucas can do this (and will do after a good pre season) then usually passes it short to a quality midfielder in the likes of the alonso or Henderson mold who can instantly turn defence into attack with one pass (alonso) or move forward with the ball looking for forward options (Henderson). You know full well it will be Allen who he will be passing to and Allen will pass his usual safe 10 yard ball short back to Lucas or the defence or another player, who will pass it back, then he will pass another glorious 10 yard ball back to the defence to keep his % completion rate up all to ensure it will give the other team enough time to create the 2 banks of 4, get back into position and start defending again. Cant wait for next year if this is the central midfield, so predictable.
ReplyDeleteHey Fdot m that just shows that you dislike Lucas what i meant by saying that he made yaya look like a kid was that at several occassions yaya made some great,promising surge runs that Lucas intercepted,cut out the attack and won back the ball,made several tackles that yaya could nt break through it happened that yaya fell on the ground after loosing the ball like a locomotive train hit his back after a quality timed tackle from lucas,if it had nt been for the heroics by Hart we could have put city to the sword.true or false?dint vincent kompany admitt that we were the better side and was anxiously waiting for the final whistle to blow because we out classed them
ReplyDeleteI'd be very surprised if we won't see any midfielders arriving in the summer.
ReplyDeleteyes. It will be another case of KD doing justice to his signings. Buck should realize his mistake and get rid or at least get decent replacements
ReplyDeleteLucas could be suffering from post injury syndrome. He does not into tackles like before
ReplyDeleteYeah I think an attacking midfielder is highly likely, but less so a defensive one.
ReplyDeleteI think given the right expectations, Allen can get better.
ReplyDeleteThe problem was that we paid so much money for him and then BR played him too much to the point that his body broke down. Very similar to Sterling.
BR had a thin squad in the fall with the combo of injuries and small summer budget, but he did a poor job managing that thin squad.
I agree. There's no reason to start both Allen and Lucas to each play a similar role.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather see him use Allen as someone who plays a spot start here or there in place of Lucas just to give the Brazilian a breather.
I would like to see Diame join and maybe we could do a deal with Carroll. I suspect the summer will be about rebuilding our defence. With Carragher retiring, Skirtl looking likely to leave due to lack of playing time and Coates not quick enough, I think we concentrate on those areas. I think Wisdom and Kelly are both great prospects, but I wouldnt know if they can manage a whole season. Maybe between them.
ReplyDeleteMost of all though, I believe we need to finish in the top four next year if we are to keep Suarez. i would hate to think where we would have finished without him.
Even if we have 20m to spend I think we can have a decent squad to get back into champions league.If we sell Downing,Carrol,Borini we can get atleast 24m from sales only. I say buy ericson,De vrij, Diame/Alonso/Victor Wanyama and one foward(only if we have enough money left, to compete with sturidge) then we can even challenge for the title.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Diame is consistent enough. Apart from a few games, he (arguably) hasn't produced such great form. A back-up, yes. A starter, no.
ReplyDeleterogers will get rid of henderson persist with allen and lose his job
ReplyDeletethats why he has to go Jaimie....he hates playing hendo or whoever over Allen....he will go with Allen Lucas and Gerrard ..and he will then be sacked at Christmas
ReplyDeletemy thoughts exactly ....gerrard will be a year older with allen and lucas with him...if rogers go with this midfield we will lose a lot more than we win
ReplyDeleteallens problem is he doesnt offer enough ....to break into the top 6 you have to do more than knock it 5 yards
ReplyDeleteSo u think BR can sell Borini thats 1 out of 10 cause he was just bought last season and his barely played less than a season because of injuries he will be given another chance,concerning Downing he will stay and will have to fight for his place to be a starter thats if we buy a quality winger not necessarily saying that his not good but someone beta than him,Carroll shud be given a second chance because i know he will come good,there are no such negative sayings that he can't fit into the Liverpool system.Diame is ok but injury prone though i would like some one in the mould of blaise matuidi from PSG only for a decent fee,i just read that Man u has employed an Acoustic Engineer to improve the noise at Old Trafford what for?even the trophy for the loudiest fans is still wanted by Man u.waste of money.
ReplyDeleteMy point was that if that's what he's expected to do, in essence retain possession, then how can we hold that against him?
ReplyDeleteIf, on the other hand, he's supposed to be moving the ball forward primarily, that's another story.
Rodgers will no doubt look no further than Swansea for our summer signings.
ReplyDeleteDon't stand for it people - we're being taken for a ride to mid table.
Lucas a star? Good God!
ReplyDeleteGetting rid of a young player after one season at a big club is always a great idea. Geez give people a chance.
ReplyDeletenormally i would agree with you but on rodgers signings i cannot allen and borini will not make it
ReplyDeleteDiame +12m for carroll makes sense.
ReplyDeleteDiame is everything henderson should be but isnt. Allen will prove the doubters wrong next season. that guy is a winner and a top class player, he's just taking time to settle in. he's come from being a big fish in a small pond.
ReplyDeleteSadly, williams is a top target(id rather buy different cb's who are less error prone). Eriksen is class, but again, could get bossed around in the EPL. i believe his style is more suited to spain or italy.
ReplyDeleteafter those 2, were relying on sales to allow further purchases , and if henderson and downing are staying, it leaves just carroll, skrtel, spearing, maybe coates, and carra's wages as potential income.
We need a world class DM as jamie points out, but not to replace allen, allen is the link man.
We have a great loyalty to players who give their all and don't let the club down on or off the field....Lucas epitomises these qualities, seems a genuinely nice guy and has definitely helped some of the younger south american players settle in...his commitment and resilience to return from injuries is also unquestionable.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately that is it though he simply is not good enough to be a first choice Liverpool midfielder, that is if we have any serious aspirations of regaining our place at the top table of English football never mind European football.
Many will say he's a defensive midfielder but I'm sorry his contribution to the attack is not even League 1 standard, surely even his most ardent promoters cannot dispute the following numbers are acceptable:
2012/13 1 assist in 1402 minutes
2011/12 0 assists in 1043 minutes
2010/11 2 assists in 2858 minutes
2009/10 2 assists in 2841 minutes
If a player passes the ball sideways and backwards over 10 yards or so sure his passing stats may look acceptable, but that's ignoring the bigger picture, I'm not saying Allen is the answer but he looked good/OK for the first month or so and then drifted away, at £15m he's going nowhere and he's worth giving a run, at least until we sign someone better (Diame or similar).
If the club is going to move forward the fans need to as well, let's get ruthless, drop the sentimentality and the players who wouldn't have warmed the bench for the Liverpool teams of the past....and Lucas isn't alone here..
Could we offer up Carroll in a trade of some kind for Diame?
ReplyDeleteDiame is dreadful. You clearly have no idea what you're talking about.
ReplyDeleteLucas is mediocre. and Diame is even worse. Neither of them should play for Liverpool. Dreadful article and comments from people who clearly don't watch football.
ReplyDeleteAllen shouldnt be sold on after one season thats ridiculous. He's a young player who played out of position for a lot of the season and then played the rest of it with a shoulder injury. He hasnt had the greatest season and his form definitely dropped off towards the back end of it but he remains a quality player who I think can be very useful for us and hopefully go on to develop and improve even further.
ReplyDeleteI dont think we should sell Downing unless we get a decent offer for him. He's beginning to come good for us now and has probably been one of our form players of late. I agree with the list of players you suggested we sign though. Although I think we would probably need another defender along with De vrij. Wanyama would be an intelligent buy though. He seems to be quality.
ReplyDeleteFully agree with you Eric. Everyone is quick to jump on the back of a player have one disappointing season. Allen deserves a chance and I think he can be a useful player for us next season.
ReplyDeleteLucas also does appear to be suffering following his injury. He just seems to be short of energy which is probably as a result of not having a full pre season and being out injured for so long. Hopefully next year he can come back fitter and stronger and put in more consistent performances that saw him win player of the year a few seasons back.
i suggest you stick to united seen as you can remember them so much
ReplyDeleteLucas should not be in the same sentence or same city as Gerrard and Alonso never mind the same midfield , same country , same continent even
ReplyDelete