24 Oct 2014

Play Me or I Quit: 'Incredible' €12m LFC star threatens to leave Liverpool for 'another club'. Let him go?

Over the last year, Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has plummeted down the pecking order at Anfield, and with his first team status now a distant memory, the Brazilian has made it clear that if things don't change, he'll seek a transfer away.

Lucas has started only three games so far this season, and when asked about his future on Wednesday, he warned:

“I want to play. I need to find a solution either at Liverpool or at another club. [if] I don’t find space at Liverpool, I should start to make a move".

Lucas also confirmed that Napoli tried to sign him over the summer:

“There was something with Napoli but it wasn’t a positive situation for both parties. Despite this, it’s true that Benitez always had great faith in me.”

This seems to confirm a report over the summer from Italian newswire Sportmediaset, which claimed that Liverpool agreed a €12m loan-to-buy-deal with Napoli, which ultimately collapsed.

Lucas - recently hailed by Rodgers for his 'incredible' attitude - is a model professional, but unfortunately, he is now literally redundant at Anfield. His role no longer exists, and he is (arguably) not suited to Rodgers' preferred style of play.

Plus, with Gerrard, Can, Henderson, and Joe Allen clearly ahead of him in the pecking order, the Brazilian's chances of regular first team action will continue to be limited this season, so the best thing for him to do is move on.

Lucas's comments are a little surprising, though. He's basically delivered a very public ultimatum to Rodgers, and also hinted that the manager is not showing enough faith in his ability. I doubt Rodgers will be impressed with this veiled warning, but Lucas is probably resigned to leaving, so maybe feels he can be a little more brazen.

Unlike Glen Johnson - another relic of the Benitez era - I still think he has a part to play in the first team. If the Reds play Gerrard further forward, I'd still take Lucas over Can, or Allen in defensive midfield.

Gerrard and Lucas can (IMO) perform effectively in the same team, bit only if they're deployed separately, and not as a central midfield partnership. Lucas clearly thrives on the manager having faith in his ability, and if Rodgers gave him a run of games, it could be beneficial for LFC.

After all, one of the recurring problems at Anfield is lack of adequate protection for the back four, and Lucas has proven in the past that he is capable of doing a great job at DM.

He still needs to be replaced, though, and a top-class DM should be a transfer priority next summer.

Author:


87 comments:

  1. Leave boss.. since you return from injury, you have been poor

    ReplyDelete
  2. JK, the problem with Gerrard playing forward is that we are unable to dictate the tempo or build up the game from the back. Against QPR, Gerrard was trying hard further up but the players playing deep (Can and Hendo) did not have the range of passing that Gerrard would need. Gerrard can still thrive further forward if we had someone like Alonso at the back. I think Gerrard will have to play deep as we don't have any other capable deep lying playmaker and that means its dead end for Lucas.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It does not matter whether you play Stevie further forward and Lucas as the deepest midfielder, both do not have the legs which completely slows down everything. It is the same as playing Lucas further forward and Stevie as the holder i.e. West ham and as a result West Ham destroyed us. We ain't going to see them in the same team again unless there are injuries that give us no choice.


    Lucas's days are numbered, he has been a great servant but he is better suited to a league like the Serie A.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I admire Lucas, he came to LFC and found himself overwhelmed with the pace of the game, so he changed his game and his position to make the move work, and for the most part (injuries aside) he has been a quality player for LFC... The latest round of injuries have taken their toll on his ability to compete, and that's a real shame, he is as loyal as a puppy dog, but any pro can only sit on the sidelines for so long.... If he feels he eeds to leave to fullfill his ambitions, then I say, Thanks for your service, and good luck where ever you play next.....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Can actually will be a suitable candidate to play as the deepest midfielder but Gerrard will not lose his place straight away.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Who on earth will pay us 12 thousand euro ? for him also Ballotelli is only one goal behind Suarez after 8 games - Suarez missed the first six - My amazing advice to Mario, if you are always on the move and get yourself in the box you will score - what do coaches at Liverpool do ?.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ballotelli should be given an ultimatum lose your unearned ego or your job. keep moving look like you want to score, get stuck in GET IN THE BOX.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bye Luca, thanks for everything.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nevergonnacrackthecode3:36 pm, October 24, 2014

    dms better then lucas:


    morgan schniderlin




    fabian delph




    chieke tiote

    ReplyDelete
  10. Fabian Delph? lol

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nevergonnacrackthecode3:40 pm, October 24, 2014

    but real madrid have shown the future of football does not need a dm kroos and modric


    ..............................................sturridge
    ...markovic.............................lallana.................sterling
    ......................................coutinho...........henderson




    with allen and can in rotation


    right now though most important position is upfront


    we need a world class striker jackson martinez,ganzalo higuain or both


    forget defense all money up front we have spent too much no solution

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anyway, my team for the Hull match


    ----------------Mignolet-----------------
    Manquillo--Toure--Sakho--Moreno
    ----------------Gerrard------------------
    -------Hendo----------Allen-------------
    ----------------Sterling------------------
    -------------------------Balotelli---------
    ----------Borini--------------------------


    Now we all know Bornini will not feature but i cannot understand why Rodgers is not making use of him. He offers mobility and work rate upfront. Balotelli needs a player supporting which would be Sterling and a player ahead of him creating space which would be Borini.


    Rodgers for me has completely lost the plot this season. I am not confident about going into the Hull match. They are not going to treat us like glass, they will be turning up to win. Our defence needs to be changed but Rodgers will most likely stick with the same defence we saw vs Madrid. Steve Bruce.will have a fat smile on his face.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This team will never see the light of day (thank god). Sakho and Toure?  No chance.

    Sent from Samsung Mobile

    ReplyDelete
  14. Well anything but Skrtel and Lovren as a partnership.

    ReplyDelete
  15. its not skrtel and lovren
    rodgers is the reason why we are so bad at defending

    ReplyDelete
  16. There is a thing called 'basic defending', something which Skrtel and Lovren have been pathetic at all season.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I don't think these comments would ever be a problem. I suspect both manager and player are in 100% agreement on this situation, Lucas is just saying it out loud. If he's not used and Can continues to get game time, which he should, then he will be sold either in January or the summer. It's a perfectly straightforward situation and I can't imagine there will be any animosity. Lucas may still have a small part to play in this team but Emre Can is the future and Rodgers has recently shown good faith in him. Even when both Can and Allen were injured we didn't see Lucas being used so it's clear he has no place at the club except as a deep deep backup in squad. Good luck to him, he deserves better than that.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You don't think that's exactly what the manager has told him?

    ReplyDelete
  19. The way he doesn't chase after players when he's caught in position he has no business playing in front of defense. Left them totally exposed time after time.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The solution is: Henderson up the pitch, Gerrard deep giving the passes. An actual DM doing the defending. Iniesta/Henderson, Gerrard/Xavi, ?/Busquets

    ReplyDelete
  21. What's wrong with Delph?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks for the memories Lucas👋

    ReplyDelete
  23. I must admit I thought Rodgers should have cut that ball out to Ronaldo for the first goal

    ReplyDelete
  24. Just read Hull have keeper problems and will have 3rd choice in goal

    ReplyDelete
  25. He's not better than Lucas...

    ReplyDelete
  26. Isn't Sahko injured??

    ReplyDelete
  27. Mignolet
    Manquillo-Skrtel-Lovren-Moreno
    Can
    Hendo-Lallana
    Phillipe
    Sterling-Lambert


    Gerrard cannot play 3 games in 6 days. It is just too much for him. Lallana is better suited than Allen at the moment and Lambert deserves a chance.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Just saw now, still out for another two weeks.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Ribberi is finished.

    ReplyDelete
  30. He's better then Downing. He played in technical team like Benfica. I'm from Serbia and i think he's now affraid in Liverpool shirt. I thouhgt it's a Premier League but against Real it was the same.

    ReplyDelete
  31. balotelli keep him as a sub

    ReplyDelete
  32. Yeah, if we want Gerrard to be in the side and for the side to be stable, we need to have a proper DM alongside him. Have Gerrard be the Alonso in the Alonso/Mascherano axis. When he plays with Lucas it tends to leave a sour taste though. We'd need a busier more terrier-like midfielder alongside him.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I concur. I respect Lucas greatly, I stuck by him when he was at his worst and he proved me right (Fabio Borini...not so much) but the injuries have taken their toll. I think reuniting him with Rafa would be a good conclusion for all parties.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Balotelli himself said in an interview about 10 days ago that he realises he needs to get into the box more.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Real Madrid have built that foundation with about half a billion Euro of debt. You can get away with that if you have Ronaldo up front, but we can't do it with our personnel. Furthermore, they tried this last season and finished 3rd in what was supposed to be a two-horse race. It's not a perfect system.

    Similarly Bayern tried to get away without a DM against Real last season and lost 4-0.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Rodgers should play this team :
    ...................................................sterling
    lallana.........................................coutinho.....................henderson
    .............................................allen...............gerrard
    moreno.................................lovren.............skrtel..............johnson
    .......................................................mignolet


    if rodgers plays ballo then we will lose
    sterling should be allowed to develop as a striker when ibe comes he can takes sterlings current role

    ReplyDelete
  37. also if rodgers wants to give some players rest like gerrard or henderson


    .............................................sterling
    markovic...............................coutinho..............lallana
    .......................................allen............gerrard

    ReplyDelete
  38. also sometimes ricky lambert can play as a hold up man .
    ...............................................lambert
    lallana.....................................coutinho....................sterling
    ....................................henderson...........allen
    moreno.........................lovren................skrtel..............johnson
    ..................................................mignolet

    ReplyDelete
  39. next season we should have a fantastic team ;
    ................................................origi
    sterling................................lallana.............................ibe
    ..................................coutinho..........henderson
    moreno......................lovren...............iloris.............flanagan
    .............................................mignolet


    bench: lambert,markovic,allen,gerrard,can,skrtel,jones

    ReplyDelete
  40. like when everton became good last season


    roberto martinez brang in lukaku origi can be our lukaku
    barkley ibe can do that
    stones we have iloris
    and if markovic improves he can be our dolefeau

    ReplyDelete
  41. you gotta be kiddin

    ReplyDelete
  42. I think Coutinho deserves a place in the squad over Allen, if the Real Madrid match was anything to go by.

    ReplyDelete
  43. cant see rogers getting 40m in all reality for a striker when we have balo,danny.borini,lambert and origi to come thats unless he sell two of his 4 strikers ......

    ReplyDelete
  44. i always find the predicaments of other clubs a bizarre excuse for the failure of your own club its a bit like saying its okay for me not to work as my next door neighbor is on the dole

    ReplyDelete
  45. Would like to snatch up Khedira if possible..

    ReplyDelete
  46. Owww my eyes. I teach 7 year old Spanish kids and if they wrote like that they'd be repeating the work with me banging my head on the desk.

    ReplyDelete
  47. its like house of cards Rogers loves commenting to the press freely about players so naturally his players will follow suit ....whats good for the goose

    ReplyDelete
  48. they could put a maniquin in the nets and it would still move quicker than mingo

    ReplyDelete
  49. borini is rubbish Logan thats why hes not using him....there seems to be an urban myth about borini as though he is some trojan workhorse who will die for the cause ...from what ive seen hes a light weight player with ltd ability...who any decent defender should put in his pocket

    ReplyDelete
  50. That means he'll have a worldy against Liverpool (!)

    ReplyDelete
  51. It seems you don't rate Sturridge he isn't even in the bench. He's surely better than lambert... Each to their own.

    ReplyDelete
  52. We had a deep-lying playmaker on loan 2 seasons ago. Nuri Sahin. Rodgers got his position wrong, playing him further upfield. Pity.

    ReplyDelete
  53. Agree with your comments. I can count around 14 players we have signed by our manager in two transfer windows and not one of them has improved the first team. Unless I am missing something when I go to Anfield for every game or away from home for around half of the games.Three quality signings CH, CM, CF a left back would have sufficed IMO plus a back up keeper to calamity mignolet another dodgy signing.
    I have no faith in the policy at all and this management team has been backed like no other before it . Will we win anything ? Questionable. I predict fifth to seventh at best. Didn't need Markovic or don't know where he plays Lallana or Ballotelli . £61m collectively ,could have had Fabregas and Costa and change. Kept Ibe and Wisdom. I have not heard one Liverpool fan say wow what a great player he is about any one of the 9 signings.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Borini is useless but agree Markovic big question mark.

    ReplyDelete
  55. They could have Balo in goal he'd still find a way not to score. Saying that he'd probably get a hat trick now...

    ReplyDelete
  56. Tommy totally agree with you 100%.
    BR wasted all of the money apart from injury prone Sturridge and Coutinho,

    ReplyDelete
  57. Quite true and i'd rather see Coutinho and Lallana start and just out play Hull

    ReplyDelete
  58. Yes best player for us against Real closely followed by Lallana

    ReplyDelete
  59. Good selection. Yes he can come on in the last 20 if need be.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Rodgers lacked pace for that one

    ReplyDelete
  61. Interesting you compare BR to King Kenny's time in charge . BR inherited a team that reached two cup finals and had a run in the europa league, Kenny gave up on the league with 5 games to go to focus on fa cup final with injuries. We have gone backwards having spent a lot more than KD and actually the team is weaker than before IMO.

    ReplyDelete
  62. In any other business they would all be sacked and down the road, all accountable. Which by implication means none of them know what they are doing borne out by on the pitch performances. How many reactionary decisions haven't they made since taking over then ? BR really , mid table at best won nothing manager , Dalglish made to look a fool by Comolli and lack of proper back up Directors during Suarez incident left hung out to dry .
    So many rubbish signings starting with Borini and Allen and continuing with the last two windows. Knee jerk Sakho, illori, aspas , alberto , ballotelli signings

    ReplyDelete
  63. It is beyond belief that people on here along with Brendan keep putting skirtel in their team. I have lost count how many times he's gone to pieces and got dropped and then got back in. Anyone even a youngster would be better! I know it won't fix our problems but it would surely improve them. He missed a couple of games earlier this season and everyone got on Sakhos back but we only conceded one goal in two league games.

    ReplyDelete
  64. And then we buy him unfortunately it's the only good game he will ever have

    ReplyDelete
  65. Excellent point. Lallana needs some more time due to the injury, him and sterling are wanting to play in same position and obv can't play together so far. Emre Can is a good prospect for a box to box midfielder and should come good if injuries stay away. Origi on loan, looks quite decent in games I've seen but very quiet against Everton in Europa league last night. Lambert was bought to be the hold up player we did not have last season when leading a game. Ballotelli??? We'll I hope he will improve when sturridge returns, sturridge will certainly lose his head if ballotelli is as ball greedy as he is now. Markovic is the one who needs most time, played in a lot slower leagues but his skill is impressive. Lovren bit disappointing but so is skrtle, manquillo looks decent so does Moreno. I can tell you the main reason our defence is shaky..... What do we have in common from last season with our defence, Agger looked poor, was then sold, toure was average for age and sakho was scruffy. Compare that to this year, skrtle looks very unsure same as last season with the own goals. Lovren is top class, just look at Southampton last season. The comparison to last season is mignolet, the defence have no faith in him. He doesn't know when to come to collect, punch, leave, where to kick. Watch skrtle and Lovren, they are made to look poor as they have no trust in keeper. We need a keeper keeping our defence in check not the defence keeping the keeper right. We get the trust at the back and I think we will be decent with 2 young flank backs in Moreno and manquillo. Goalkeeper priority in summer, doubt any will leave to come to us in January. Stevie G also needs to be rested every 3-5 games. I am keen to see an Allen/Can holding partnership

    ReplyDelete
  66. oh no lucas, please.......close the door on your way out, theres a good boy.

    ReplyDelete
  67. You can't call it a waste for right now. It is an investment over the individual players contract length ie 4 years. We all thought hendo was a bad investment. The 120m was to balance our squad more than anything which it has done. What would we do this season if we did not find cover up front and sturridge got injured. This years investment included 4 players who would get into the 1st team and nail a place down, the rest was for cover with Can, Markovic, manquillo and Moreno all for the future. Bad English to say it is a waste of money now.... The term you are looking for is it is currently a bad investment

    ReplyDelete
  68. i don't dislike the lad in all seriousness and i will always try to support any of our players, but, he has passed his sell by date...probably the only accurate pass he has made since he joined!

    ReplyDelete
  69. Disagree. Quicker, stronger & more of a goal threat. Scored some absolute stunners.

    ReplyDelete
  70. Yes, but that's not Lucas's job. If we were replacing Allen, or need a #2 player after Gerrard's retirement, then sure. But Delph is hardly a DM we need. He'd be no better than putting Hendo back there. He can play a holding position, but that doesn't make him a DM, as we are learning the Gerrard experiment.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Khedira isn't really a DM. He's just a Real Madrid DM, which means the flashiest deep lying player you have. Like Kroos now.

    He's the type of guy Arsenal would play DM and solve none of their softness in the spine of the side.

    ReplyDelete
  72. thexcuriousxwanderer3:28 am, October 25, 2014

    How is that a warning to "Play me or I quit" when in the interview he said “I want to play but at the same time I need to be patient” ???

    ReplyDelete
  73. thexcuriousxwanderer3:31 am, October 25, 2014

    I think you can afford to have one slow guy. It's not that he is abysmal, I think we just can't accomodate him now. I respect his request for play time. And it wasn't a warning like JK sensationalised from his point of view, if you go look at the interview it's very down to earth. He says he has to be patient for more time, and he wants to play more games ultimately. If clubs can come to an agreement, that would be great. One thing I can't stand is JK using all these words with negative connotations on real people who have reputations who are professional. I have nothing but respect for Lucas.

    ReplyDelete
  74. thexcuriousxwanderer3:35 am, October 25, 2014

    Yeah I think he's just not used to it, he is used to playing more slowly. I don't think BR like shouted at him or spoke to him harshly you know, i think Mario is a boy who needs love and a bit of a push. Something like "You want to be Super Mario? Look at Suarez, Ronaldo, they all work hard. You want to be like them?" And then Mario probably will know what to do.

    ReplyDelete
  75. exxchange lucas with higuin...

    ReplyDelete
  76. Possibly, but I though he was lightweight for EPL.

    ReplyDelete
  77. Rodgers had Liverpool playing some of the best football ever last season, and 10 games into the season and Jamie is talking about Rodgers job being on the line. Haha.

    ReplyDelete
  78. He used to be Ming or the Mig now its Mingo and rapidly heading towards Mingy

    ReplyDelete
  79. I just don't think he has it in him. Not many players have ever completed the kind of turnaround Mario would need. The mental side of his game is non-existent.

    ReplyDelete
  80. obviously not or he would not be in the team today - for disobeying the manager.

    ReplyDelete
  81. Are you sure that a Defensive Midfielder is a transfer priority next summer? We have more than enough of that type of player in the squad. Maybe not quite of the quality of the mentioned Khedira, however the players we have are more than capable if given the chance to impress. Keeper and striker are the priorities. We need the goals, and a real replacement for Suarez is clearly the priority. Mignolet is absolutely awful at times, and that needs fixed too

    ReplyDelete
  82. swap deal with balotelli and lucas to napoli then make room for higuain.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Swap him with Eduardo Vargas !!! the next Suarez

    ReplyDelete
  84. Suarez he ain't, I'm afraid, old bean.

    ReplyDelete
  85. I compared FSG's transfer policy during Kenny's last season compared to their probably handling of BR's this season. FSG did not spend 125 million (or 50 net) last summer to win the league cup and to "have a good run". They want a club that plays at the highest level week in, week out. That is named in one breath with the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. But if you want me to compare, yes I believe our club has learned nothing about how to spend transfer money and how to build a team since 1999. Maybe even 1992.

    ReplyDelete