19 Jan 2013

'He struggled' - Reds hero worried by LFC star's 'patchy' form. Big problem...?

On paper, Liverpool appear to have a very strong midfield. With the likes of Gerrard, Lucas, Allen, Shelvey and Henderson on the books, there seems to be a good variety of midfield ability at the club, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that Reds are lacking in that department. Manchester United cruelly exposed this during the first half of Liverpool's recent defeat at Old Trafford, and Liverpool legend Jan Molby believes there is a costly imbalance at the heart of the team.

Liverpool lost the Man United game in the first half as a result of the ineffectiveness of Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva, and Molby insists that the Reds are simply 'not strong enough' in the centre of the pitch. He told the Liverpool Echo:

"The engine room is where games are won and lost but we weren’t strong enough there against Manchester United. Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva both struggled"

Rodgers removed Lucas in the second half, and the team's overall performance massively improved, but it seems that Allen - not Lucas - is receiving most of the fan-blame, which seems strange considering the team played better after the Brazilian went off.

Molby conceded that Allen is still 'relatively inexperienced' in the Premier League, and suggested that he perhaps feels a little 'weighed down by expectations'. In the Welshman's case, Molby may be right; after all, Allen is still only 22, and two years ago, he was playing in the Championship with Swansea.

The same cannot be said, however, of Lucas, who has over five years of solid Premier League experience, and Molby accepts that the Brazilian is not at his best right now. He said:

"Midfield is an area where we thought we would be okay but currently it’s a concern. Lucas’s form has been patchy since he came back from those two bad injuries"

As I argued earlier in the week, Allen should share the defensive midfield role with Lucas, and Rodgers should not deploy him in a more advanced position.

What about Lucas, though? Is it just his injuries causing his occasional ineffectiveness, or is it deeper than that? Is he the long-term solution for Liverpool's defensive midfield role, or do the club need someone stronger and more athletic?

Jaimie Kanwar

REMEMBER: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)


48 comments:

  1. lucas was playing much better before his injuries, so it'd be reasonable to suggest that allen is the weak link

    ReplyDelete
  2. Greg | Liverpool Kopites10:51 am, January 19, 2013

    I think it's basically Lucas being out for so long and then having a stop start return from injuries. That can throw the best of them totally out of rhythm and he's probably suffering from that right now. It's gonna take him time to get back to the level he was before injuries.

    Remember how long it took him to become a favourite!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've never been as convinced by Lucas as others seem to be and would've prioritised the signing of another ballwinner in the summer over any other type of central midfielder; especially knowing Lucas was likely to be a long term absentee again.

    There are a number of quality options available right now and we should definitely be getting in there asap, instead of waiting another 6 months to fix a glaring hole that is immediately obvious.

    I don't watch as much football as I used to, but any of Capoue/Sissoko/Diame/M'vila would definitely improve our team - both in the short and the long term - and I'm sure there are many other players of similar skill levels available to us for good value also.

    ReplyDelete
  4. M'Vila is available too, and apparently set to sign for QPR. Seems ridiculous really; If he's willing to sign for the league's bottom club, then LFC could surely tempt him?

    ReplyDelete
  5. If Rodgers starts Lucas and Allen again today, it will show that he learned nothing from the Man United game. It will be interesting to see the starting line-up.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good article.

    It does seem often that people end up rounding on one player and thereby extricating the rest of the team from blame. Or, just an overzealous attitude to sharpen the knives over a player's future just because of a poor run of form.

    I think Allen is a decent player; whether he turns into something more is surely far too early to tell. It probably is too early to tell if he can exist in the same midfield as Lucas.

    In terms of Lucas, I think people built him up somewhat. He will have to put in a good few seasons with performances at the highest level before I quite decide he has the abilities people seem to have credited him with. But again, it would be far to knee-jerk to say either way just yet after his injury set back.

    Patience would be my mantra.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Greg | Liverpool Kopites11:08 am, January 19, 2013

    Too late for that. Not the first time in recent games where he started both of them together and we hardly looked convincing back then. Furthermore he might look at Norwich and think perfect opportunity for either or both of them to 'play their way back to form'.

    ReplyDelete
  8. a Very attacking line up today apparently! Suarez, sturridge, Borini, sterling all playing with Gerrard and henderson in midfield.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Greg | Liverpool Kopites11:08 am, January 19, 2013

    We're just giving him a trial with QPR and will snap him up if he passes.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I like Allen, but if you think about it, £15 million for a 22 year old with only one years experience in the premier league was silly (although admittedly I wasn't saying this in August). There was a good chance he could suffer from second season syndrome. Furthermore spending £30 million on potential in a year does seem like a silly transfer policy, especially when the money is being tightly held for other positions (couldn't afford £5 million for Dempsey). I see Henderson and Allen as very similar players, seeing as what they lack can be coached into them as they're young. Signing Allen was only going to stifle Henderson's development. In the summer the one position in which we were overloaded was center midfield, we have so many players there and none are world class, except Gerrard when he wants and maybe Lucas.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Take away Lucas and Gerrard I think our midfield is actually very weak

    ReplyDelete
  12. Man Ure boy go play with the trains you stupid little gobsh1te!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Man Ure boy go play with the trains you stupid little gobsh1te!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. and pay an extra 15 mil

    ReplyDelete
  15. You do have to wonder what our scouts are doing don't you??

    ReplyDelete
  16. The problem is will Brendan DROP Joe Allen ?
    This far he seems very reluctant to do so because he put so much of his own credibility in buying him from Swansea.
    Lucas has only been back 3 weeks and hasn't had a chance to get his timing of tackles or passing back to where it was.
    Bare in mind that under Kenny and Roy before his injury he was probably our most consistent player.

    Lucas has played with Mascherano,Gerrard & Alonso  all 3 genuine world class Midfield players.
    Now he's playing with Allen who IS NOT a world class midfield player or as good as any of the player I just mentioned to you.

    Allen is the weak link, however given what I have seen thus far from Br I'm starting to think he's won ego is getting in the way of team selection.

    My team for today would actually be the following

    ----------------------Reina

    Wisdom------Skertel---------Agger----Johnson


    --------------Lucas----------Gerrard-------


    Sterling-------------Suarez-----------Borini


    ---------------------Sturridge------------------


    Bench:Jones,Coates,Downing,Allen,Shelvey,Suso,Henderson

    ReplyDelete
  17. Yes, paying over the odds is now part of the 'Liverpool Way'!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Not bad :)
    but I would rest Sterling and play Suso, and also completely drop Allen

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wish I could disagree but unfortunately that is exactly right.

    ReplyDelete
  20. If that is the case, the thats great news. We looked so much better when we had more strikers on the pitch in the Man Utd game. Although I`m not sure how you fit Suarez, Sturridge, Borini and Sterling in a front three. Unless it is 4-2-3-1.

    ReplyDelete
  21. There are a number of issues:
    1. Considering how long it took for his performances to reach an acceptable level after arriving at Anfield, we may forgive Lucas for taking time to return to those lofty levels. He's not a physically imposing player, but relies on his movement, fitness and reading of the game to break up the opponent's play. These things all take time to return. The fact that he is playing in a new formation also makes a difference. 

    2. Specifically in relation to the Man U match, I just wonder if Lucas was removed because he looked fatigued and was also on a booking. Many have suggested that Lucas and Allen should not be paired in midfield. If so, Liverpool's performance was always likely to improve irrespective of whether Lucas or Allen were substituted, as it may have more to do with Sturridge's introduction and concomitant formation change, than Lucas' departure per se.

    3. Allen will forever receive 'fan blame' until he proves himself at Liverpool, for many reasons. Reading through the forums, many see him as an unnecessary purchase, not providing anything above that which was already available at Anfield (except a higher pass completion rate). Furthermore, he hasn't really defined himself as either a defensive, attacking, box-to-box or other midfielder. This lack of identity means people don't really know what he contributes. Despite our previous failures in the transfer market, we still managed to be held to ransom over his purchase. It's not his fault he cost too much, but neither was it Carroll's, and look at how he was treated. Failure to invest further in the squad has not helped Allen's cause.

    4. I agree that we need more physicality in the team, especially the midfield, but unfortunately, BR disagrees.

    ReplyDelete
  22. The one thing kenny got right was not starting Sterling or Suso.  Neither are physically ready for the PL and really do look like boys amongst men when they're out on the field. In Sterlings case does anyone believe he has the potential to be better than Pennant? I'm not so sure. If I had to choose I'd (with a heavy heart) go for Downing all day long.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm more bothered about Lucas's form although I'm sure he will improve as his fitness returns.

    Allen is just the latest victim of the need by an element of this clubs support to have a target. Last year it was Henderson and Downing before that Lucas. Allen needs time to settle like Lucas did.

    ReplyDelete
  24. completely agree, his first three seasons at liverpool he was terrible, and we went way over the top about him last year, need to do more than just intercept passes

    ReplyDelete
  25. the last two games were lucas started and allen did not fulham and sunderland have been our best performances of the season imo it,s a no brainer for me allen out henderson starts

    ReplyDelete
  26. I think he could be 10 times at least the player Pennant was, but he needs to be given chance to develop, but as it is at the minute we are doing him more bad then good playing him so much.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Whichever way you interpret the formation I expect Sturridge to be the central striker with Borini and Sterling either side giving Suarez a central position in front of Henderson and Gerrard.

    ReplyDelete
  28. That line up is very close to what I believe the team to be but with Henderson in place of Lucas.

    ReplyDelete
  29. He has to justify his £15M signing. KD got lambasted for continually playing his own signings who weren't delivering, whilst leaving the likes of Kuyt and Maxi on the bench.

    ReplyDelete
  30. summed up nicely.

    ReplyDelete
  31. We waited about 2 or 3 seasons for him to change from an absolute waste of space to a decent DM. Now how long should we wait? 2 more seaons!?  Also is he gonna ever reach his pre-injury form? Maybe he never will...

    ReplyDelete
  32. Exactly...and even in the season where we was supposedly the best DM in the league(for attempting the most tackles), his tackling accuracy was actually very poor...he won only about 65% of his tackles. contrast this with mascherano who was like winning about 80% of his tackles when he was playing for us. 

    ReplyDelete
  33. *even in the season where he was supposedly the best DM

    ReplyDelete
  34. lucas world class??? haha nice one...

    ReplyDelete
  35. So you think we have a "strong" midfield with Gerrard and lucas playing?

    ReplyDelete
  36. Lucas in midfield is a much better option because he is much better defensively and physically stronger and probably should be given 60-70 minutes to regain his full fitness and Henderson has to be given a start as he is much more energetic in midfield .Allen just doesn't make any sense because he is neither good  nor strong enough defensively and is ineffective further forward because of his lack of pace .

    ReplyDelete
  37. Unluckily we dont have the time to give every new player 2-3 season to adapt...We have been out of champions league for 3 seasons now!

    ReplyDelete
  38. ______________Reina______________
    Wisdom___Skrtel____Agger___Jphnson
    ___Gerrard____Suso____Henderson___
    ___Sturridge____Borini____Suarez____


    1.We should definitely try something different in midfield since both Allen and Lucas has been piss poor lately...
    2.Sterling should be rested. He has played too many game for his age. He has not been very convincing and so need to be rested especially now that Borini is back and that we bought a new striker(Sturridge).
    3. Borini is better in the middle imo, Suarez on the left and Sturridge on the right also would be ideal. They can even interchange during the match if need be...
     

    ReplyDelete
  39. Sorry but Lucas is everything except a physically strong DM. He is more the tecnical type of player than the physical one...Also he is no better than Allen defensively, did u watch the match against united?

    ReplyDelete
  40. i did and i still believe Lucas does his job better defensively than Allen .

    ReplyDelete
  41. no I am saying there the only 2 players in our midfield worth mentioning, the rest wouldn't get anywhere near the first team of other clubs

    ReplyDelete
  42. He was better defensively before his injury but right now he is no better than Allen...he may be even worse than him.
    Lucas is back to the crappy  player he was when he just joined us...

    ReplyDelete
  43. i'm afraid i disagree with Lucas being crappy or worse than Allen the lad has just been back from a career threatening injury

    ReplyDelete
  44. Todays game showed what should be BR's starting 11, Allen is a negative player, always looking to go sideways (maybe we should turn the pitch round by 90 degrees), after he came on today LFC  seemed to be less direct imo. Henderson was fantastic today, he really seems to be improving, his work rate box to box and energy was tremendous, we looked a more balanced side today than we have in a long time. Downing also had a good game today, it was a great all round performance

    ReplyDelete
  45. Lucas has just came back from serious injuries. We need to give him time. I'm not even sure he has completed 90 minutes, has he?

    Allen deserves to be dropped, but not written off. He has the makings of a good player.

    It is amazing how short sighted some people are. Last season Hendo was shite and now he is what we need, not so long ago Lucas was the worst, then the best, now apparently the worst again and Allen in his first few games was a 'steal' and now the fee is seen as daylight robbery.

    All players need time, young ones especially.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Neither one is good enough currently. I said a week or so ago that Allen is being played far too often which is basically what happened to Henderson last season. We had Sahin so it's not like Rodgers didn't have any other options. Sahin is gone now though and Lucas is no Mascherano. I understand my fellow supporters love for the Brazilian and he has improved but I can't see him being a regular feature for a team challenging for the Premiership title. m'Vila should be a target right now but Capoue of Toulouse, currently targeted by Everton, is also a very good option imo. However, going by our manager's comments and our failure to sign Sneijder, I don't think we'll see this problem being fixed this season. Maybe not even in the summer.

    ReplyDelete