Liverpool's abject defeat at Southampton on Saturday once again starkly illustrated the club's urgent need for some real steel in the middle of the pitch. Joe Allen started ahead of Lucas Leiva (who later replaced the Welshman) but neither player offered the dominant presence so desperately needed in the heart of midfield, and in Lucas's case, the Saints' killer third goal came as a direct result of his failure to adequately protect the back four.
After watching the game, Liverpool legend Steve Nicol urged Brendan Rodgers to sign reinforcements in the summer, and when asked which players he'd recommend to Brendan Rodgers, the former Reds defender told TalkSport:
"I think they need a real strong player in the middle of the park. We had Souness, a guy who can play, but no one wanted to mess with. Liverpool need dominance behind the front players. Bayern Munich have a player called Dante who’d be absolutely perfect for Liverpool".
Lucas is revered by Liverpool fans, and the Brazilian is undoubtedly an excellent player, but the club arguably needs a different type of player to help push things on to the next level.
This may sound harsh, but Liverpool will not (IMO) maintain a top four place, and/or go on to win the title with Lucas anchoring the midfield. His time at LFC seems to back this up:
* When Lucas arrived, LFC were an established CL team, but at the time, the club had Alonso and Mascherano pulling the strings in midfield.
* LFC finished 2nd in the 2008-9 season, but Lucas started only thirteen league games that season.
* Since 2010, Liverpool have slipped toward mid-table, and Lucas has excelled during that period.
What I'm suggesting is that Lucas has found his level. For a team in the top 6-8, he's the ideal player, but to be amongst the elite, you need elite players, and with the greatest respect, Lucas is not an elite midfielder.
He has many qualities, but lacks physical strength, physical presence, dominance, and an element of ruthlessness, all qualities that - with very few exceptions - the world's top defensive midfielders (past and present) possess.
Maybe Lucas can develop these additional facets to his game over time, but he needs real competition to do that, and at present, there is no one (bar Joe Allen) challenging him. Worse than that, there's no one at Liverpool who can guide Lucas towards being a more effective defensive midfielder.
This is why the club must make the signing of a new defensive-mid in the summer a major priority. It's pointless, however, signing another player in the Allen/Lucas mould. Liverpool need a dominant force - a player with a touch of nastiness about him; someone who can dominate midfield, physically compete on all levels, and strike fear into the hearts of the opposition. In other words, someone like Graeme Souness, Roy Keane, or Patrick Viera.
Will Lucas ever strike fear into the hearts of the opposition like the aforementioned players? I sincerely doubt it.
Dante can play in central defence and as a defensive midfielder, and Bayern manager Jupp Heynkes described the Brazilian in glowing terms last month. He told the Independent:
"Dante has guaranteed that we have conceded fewer goals this season. With his attitude and his drive to perform, he is the sort of player every manager dreams of having.”
After that eulogy, it seems unlikely Bayern will let Dante leave. Are there any other players out there that fit the bill?
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
After watching the game, Liverpool legend Steve Nicol urged Brendan Rodgers to sign reinforcements in the summer, and when asked which players he'd recommend to Brendan Rodgers, the former Reds defender told TalkSport:
"I think they need a real strong player in the middle of the park. We had Souness, a guy who can play, but no one wanted to mess with. Liverpool need dominance behind the front players. Bayern Munich have a player called Dante who’d be absolutely perfect for Liverpool".
Lucas is revered by Liverpool fans, and the Brazilian is undoubtedly an excellent player, but the club arguably needs a different type of player to help push things on to the next level.
This may sound harsh, but Liverpool will not (IMO) maintain a top four place, and/or go on to win the title with Lucas anchoring the midfield. His time at LFC seems to back this up:
* When Lucas arrived, LFC were an established CL team, but at the time, the club had Alonso and Mascherano pulling the strings in midfield.
* LFC finished 2nd in the 2008-9 season, but Lucas started only thirteen league games that season.
* Since 2010, Liverpool have slipped toward mid-table, and Lucas has excelled during that period.
What I'm suggesting is that Lucas has found his level. For a team in the top 6-8, he's the ideal player, but to be amongst the elite, you need elite players, and with the greatest respect, Lucas is not an elite midfielder.
He has many qualities, but lacks physical strength, physical presence, dominance, and an element of ruthlessness, all qualities that - with very few exceptions - the world's top defensive midfielders (past and present) possess.
Maybe Lucas can develop these additional facets to his game over time, but he needs real competition to do that, and at present, there is no one (bar Joe Allen) challenging him. Worse than that, there's no one at Liverpool who can guide Lucas towards being a more effective defensive midfielder.
This is why the club must make the signing of a new defensive-mid in the summer a major priority. It's pointless, however, signing another player in the Allen/Lucas mould. Liverpool need a dominant force - a player with a touch of nastiness about him; someone who can dominate midfield, physically compete on all levels, and strike fear into the hearts of the opposition. In other words, someone like Graeme Souness, Roy Keane, or Patrick Viera.
Will Lucas ever strike fear into the hearts of the opposition like the aforementioned players? I sincerely doubt it.
Dante can play in central defence and as a defensive midfielder, and Bayern manager Jupp Heynkes described the Brazilian in glowing terms last month. He told the Independent:
"Dante has guaranteed that we have conceded fewer goals this season. With his attitude and his drive to perform, he is the sort of player every manager dreams of having.”
After that eulogy, it seems unlikely Bayern will let Dante leave. Are there any other players out there that fit the bill?
Jaimie Kanwar
NOTE: Please stick to the Comment Policy (Click to read)
maintain a top four position your having a laugh keep lucas get rid of allen absolute tripe
ReplyDeleteI didn't say get rid of Lucas; I'm suggesting get a top quality defensive mid to challenge him, and hopefully add to his game.
ReplyDeleteagree and we could use the few quid we get for allen to go towards the transfer,no offence m8 but every poor game we have had this season he has played and the games were we have banged the goals in when he has come on the goals have stopped would be interested to know how many more goals have been scored and conceded when hes been on the pitch
ReplyDeletewhy did my reply not go live
ReplyDeleteForget anyone else if i was BR i would be tapping up, talking to and getting players to message Xabi Alonso!! Forget the young signing rule, if we could get Xabi on the cheap due to him not re-signing with Madrid, i would be all over it!! Even though he is 31, his style of play as we know is slow, patient, precise, technical and he has been possibly the one player we have missed and never replaced. We can go for others but, if their is a chance of getting Alonso back, i would be first to hold up a banner!!!
ReplyDeleteDo I have to explain this every time? It's the word filter. Sometimes posts get held.
ReplyDeleteDante is a Brazilian international CB (not a CM, never played there) playing at one of Europe's Top3-Eliteclubs of the next 5 seasons ... no chance to sign him ...
ReplyDeleteA suitable candidate though would be Franfurt's Sebastian Rode: http://www.transfermarkt.de/en/sebastian-rode/profil/spieler_44466.html
Top quality player already, 22 years, very physical, a strong winner mentality ... he reminds of the young Matthias Sammer. Rode would do well in the Premier League.
lol but how do we know if they have been held or refused ,we don,t it,s the same message either way
ReplyDeleteI would see Skrtel as being more responsible for Southampton's third goal than Lucas, given that Skrtel ran as an "escort", with Rodriguez, for the last 15-20 yards, without even attempting a tackle.
ReplyDeletewho puts the 5 million pound fee on him imo anyone who,s a regular for munich would command a hell of a bigger fee
ReplyDeletewould he be willing to take such a massive step backwards at this stage of his career i know he says he still loves the club but as things stand at anfield it will not be much of a swan song for him
ReplyDeleteDo you really think I sit her all day vetting every comment?! get a grip! That's what the word filter is for.
ReplyDeletedont know m8 your quick enough to jump down my throaght ,maybe you need some help an assistant you could always put out a job add lol;-)
ReplyDeleteLike ?
ReplyDeleteDante just signed for Bayern in the summer so why would he leave the bundesliga champs for mid table poool atm. IMO what we need at the moment is real steal and dynamism in the middle we need a real unit a certified anchorman not a glorified deep lying playmaker or a "pass master" some one imposing physically hard in the tackle there people out there but in our kind of apeeal an bracket i only see Strootman and Diame as realistic targets
ReplyDeletePlease BR do not play Skertl or Allen again this season, give Coates the remaining games to judge him fairly. He has NEVER had a run in the team and he needs that now, Hendo and Shelvey are better that Allen but BR paid £15m for him.................join the dots??
ReplyDeleteCome on BR pick players on form and fitness and be fair to the squad!!!!
There's nothing wrong with having someone come in to challenge Lucas.
ReplyDeleteBut here's the thing; are you going to get an "elite" player to come in here if he's not guaranteed to start? My guess is not.
Additionally, I take exception to this idea that Lucas has contributed to the downfall of quality throughout the rest of the team. If anything he's helped keep the team in a better position.
Granted, he's had a poor run the last couple of games, but how does a poor couple of games turn into the questioning of his overall talent?
He ain't the type of player Jaimie is talking about more the mascherano type I think is what we need
ReplyDeleteMate - Rodriguez basically scored cause Skrtel dint even atempt to put a tackle in and just kept backing away.
ReplyDeleteTo be
ReplyDeletehonest I have to agree with this article. Lucas was under the shadow of Alonso
and Mascherano and rightly so as they are world class players. These two could
fit in any team in the world. When they left Lucas had to step up and the only
time I have seen Lucas play extremely well and actually have some influence was
when KD took charge, so from the time RH got sacked and his 1st serious injury.
Injury has had an impact in his performances as is usual.
The
weaknesses highlighted in this article are IMO correct. He does lack that fear
factor or even the physical presence to bully people off the ball. Although a
good DM does not necessarily need to have those skills, when they do it's a
plus.
Someone
like Pirlo who plays in that role just absolutely controls a game in that
position. He just reads the game to well even though he is not a quick or
powerful DM.
Stills
peeves me off that we did not go for M’Villa or Sissoko. I think Diame would be
good buy.
Diame can be a very good player for LFC
ReplyDeleteI think Diame can be a very good player for LFC
ReplyDeleteAs he has stated, he loves the club so much he encourages his lad to support us and he comes to games as a fan. I am sure if BR needed him for the next 3 years to bring in a new phase with him as a senior player educating the likes of Allen shelvey and co, i think he would jump at the chance. It maybe a step backwards but he is in the twilight of his career, he has won everything, why not come back to a club you loved and Finnish your career where your loved and regard as home and you never know, with him back in the side we may start to close the gap so it may not be a massive backward step, just a small one!!!
ReplyDeleteif he was 33 he mite concider it but two good years leaft and he wants european football something we probably mite not have next season , and why would he be open to rodgers he dose not even know him and if suhins reports are anything to go by probably will not want to,and imo whilst rodgers is at the club it will be a massive step backwards for most decent established pros we will get potential not proven players
ReplyDeleteto be fair to Lucas, mascherano was the main holding mid when Alonso left, and Alonso was never a proper holding mid, hes the controlling mid which is what we miss, someone to help break up play but also have the ability to keep it and spread it around similar to javi Martinez who am not suggesting we have any chance of signing but that's what we are missing not another holding midfielder, sahin coulda been that player in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteWhat makes anyone think Rodgers wants a Defensive Midfielder?
ReplyDeleteIts becoming clear to me Rodgers does not value the contribution of defensive players.
Lucas on the bench... and only two in midfield... LOL!!
What does that tell you about his thinking there?
If Lucas doesn't play, then we need a midfield three to make up for a lack of a specialist DM.
A two man midfield without Lucas is a recipe for disaster.
Its been tried before and failed consistently, has Rodgers learnt nothing?
Allen is not a defensive midfielder and never will be.
The only conclusion I can draw is that Rodgers doesn't want defensive minded players, and that's a worry.
Our defensive play has degenerated badly under his watch, and I see no steps been taken to rectify the situation.
Without sounding like a broken record LFC need to look to Africa/Euro Africa on this one. In short Liverpool need a big black guy right in the middle, an athletic bruiser who is physically imposing.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned this on several posts, one person said isn't that racial profiling, I said yep & so what. This is not new in sport. Why do you think Chelski bought Lakaku? They were after a new Drogba, even Barca use it as an option & they've done this for years, Real too! Makalele was the first to make this role sexy & he was the best then Viera took it to another level because he was equally adept at both ends of the pitch. How we didn't snap up Diame is beyond me & he is very crucial to our progress!
The other reason for these types of players is economics, if due diligence is done there are lots of bargains out there! As mentioned befor Cissoko and Diame together cost less than Allen who was never a priority. That sort of player is more of a luxury once all departments are solidified!
Since Momo Cissoko we've ignored this type of player to our detriment!
We were poor all over the park on Sat. I was at the game and we were dreadfull. Ironically the only player who looked interested was Downing.
ReplyDeleteI hear dat i wanted to say that but didnt wanna come across a touchy racial line but we lacked an athlete a real unit
ReplyDeleteI think the whole joe Allen situation is br just won't admit he is not good enough for the level Liverpool need and therefor keeps playing him
ReplyDeleteagree xabi is on another planet to some of our midfeilders
ReplyDeleteHave a think about the content of what your writing. Even the most innocent of comments can result in them not being posted. For example 'troll' which, i have used in the past comes under this. It it isnt just proffanity thats filtered. Sometimes its the tone of the comment to put of tit for tat arguments.
ReplyDeleteHell be licking his lips to team up with talent like allen
ReplyDeletewe could buy the best ball winning centre mid in the world......but that don't take away the fact that skrtel is absolute sh#te, and agger is no great (defender)
ReplyDeletemight not have M8 have you been on white lightning...will not have and may never have with the rogers and allen show
ReplyDeleteit wont happen allen is rogers golden boy and will get every chance to play .....ive said all along spearing is as good as allen one hit wonder at swansea seen it all before
ReplyDeletethey dont see that on here M8 they only spout stats which suit them .....few quid ...allen is another loan him out and pay his wages ..who in there right mind would have him ..swansea must be laughing there nuts off
ReplyDeleteif lucas has found his level jaimie whats allens level .....
ReplyDeleteand we could have had him for nothing under kenny ...funny that doesnt get a mention
ReplyDeleteno thats his plan ...or so im told to get whooped by relegation fodder...last year one bum team beat us 3 1 in the prem bolton...ive lost count this year and there's 8 games to go ....villa are fighting for there lives ..the only hope for rogers is he may have to play hendo who will probably save his skin...if Allen plays there's good chance it will be another caning...thats some progress
ReplyDeleteIt's the truth! Just being practical. If you see what Dembele can do for spuds that's exactly what we need!
ReplyDeletethey are deluded on here m8 thats why.....there was such a campaign to discredit kenny and last years achievements and listen to Br and his tika taka Bs ....its progress ..they say hes got rid of the deadwood ...and replaced them with borini allen and assaadi...lol ...its only a matter of time before sturridge and tino flop under Br ...Sturridge already looks like hes had enough .....skirtel and agger have gone from the 2 most coverted defenders in the prem to poundlanders yet rogers doesn't get a mention...but its progress
ReplyDeleteLucas has been at Liverpool for 5 years; Allen for 8 months.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%
ReplyDeleteDiame is a beast and Cissoko quality, yes to both.
ReplyDeletehence the few quid we mite get 5or6 million for him if were lucky and can find a club that as a manager who knows f"ck all like rodgers
ReplyDeletethere was nothing in it at all m8 unless the word allen is banned
ReplyDelete8 months to long
ReplyDeleteallen could clean his boots
ReplyDeletehis stats for goals and assists were piss poor at swansea even in the championship
ReplyDeleteme to infact spearing is better
ReplyDeleteno we could pay 10 million for him and to some people rodgers would have pulled a masterstroke
ReplyDeletei think the majority of posters now agree that the welsh wizard is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard my work is done;-)
ReplyDeleteAllen for 15mil or Corzola for 15mil.....Hmmm
ReplyDeleteLiverpool invested in a shambles of a player!
Just been reading the comments and it really is surprising that some people really dont learn there lesson, It would be interesting if this kind of discussion was 4 years ago and I am pretty sure the likes of Mr Carr would be ranting and raving about how poor Lucas is and that he should never wear a Liverpool shirt again. Is it not about time you got behind these young lads and show them what true support is really about. Give these guys some time to gel find there feet the football we are promoting looks fantastic at times and I am sure given time it will be more regular.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure BR realises he needs cover in this position as well as LB, CM and another attacking player and I am pretty sure we will end up at the start of next season looking forward to what the new look squad has to offer.
Stop slating get behind the team, BR and everything else our amazing club has.
What annoys me is, Allen was sold to us as the welsh xavi, when that
ReplyDeletedidn't work out he's suddenly the welsh Busquets... go
figure.
hed probably lose them
ReplyDeletethe thing is we had the 3rd best defence in the prem last year....these players are just being coached bad....
ReplyDeletei never slated lucas....rogers picks an injured player then subs him for another injured player leaving the form uninjured player out ...what a slap in the face for hendo...and you want me to get behing him....the guy is clueless ...if villa beat us at the weekend its walking papers as far as im concerned......
ReplyDeletethats tika taka ...rogers style ....what a joke
ReplyDeleteive been saying that all along ........the only good thing about playing allen is it will put rogers out on his ear
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry I didn't know you were in a coma last year.. !!
ReplyDeleteBeaten by Fulham home and away.. Besides Bolton we also lost to the mighty QPR ,Wigan Sunderland West Brom Swansea Stoke ..
Do you want me to go on ..
Think we should have a whip around on this site and buy you the DVD of last season.. and see just how shite things really got..
The Kenny Brigade is becoming as boring and as the Rafa Brigade now zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
New Balls Please ..
Part of the problem is Rogers desire to play three in midfield. It simply puts the holding midfielder under far more pressure than a four or five man midfield. It won't work in every fixture, particularly away from home.
ReplyDeleteBefore Rogers three man midfield, Liverpool's defensive record with the same players has been pretty good in the last few seasons.
if you read my post ...i said beat 3 - 1 ..not lost ...do you really believe i think we lost one game lol...im sorry but you come across as quite intellegent so im finding it hard to believe.....ill take you up on the cd though it may be the only chance i get of watching us pick up silverware
ReplyDeleteWhile I have been a huge advocate for a new DM since Macherano left I would tread carefully when thinking about an afro-european player. As an african myself I have watched a lot of these players and where size and strength is abundant, skill is often lacking. Very few players like Essien, Makalele, and Viera have/had the gift of both to compete at the top level while others like Diame, Tiote, and Momo only have enough for a mid-table side imo. Tiote, while good, is very rash with his challenges and makes bad decisions in the final third with the ball. Diame is in and out of many games and while he can bully players in the midfield and has good games, he is very inconsistent and often lacks ball control. Moussa Sissoko was our answer and we missed him as he has the perfect balance, like Toure at city. I would personally love to see leverkusen's Bender,Rubin's Mvila, or Juve's Vidal at the club. Being realistic; Wanyama or Camacho. A player who fits the FSG vision and I think would be a huge hit for us. Young, strong, has vision, can score, currently benchwarming....Jack Rodwell - if he can sever those blue ties :)
ReplyDeleteOh dear, enter the 'see no evil, hear no evil' Rodgers fanboys...
ReplyDeleteHow about you wake up from your own comma and have a good long hard look at THIS SEASON.
What is this thing they call a defense? Do we have one under Rodgers?
Rodgers has the right footballing philosophy, but theres no getting away from the fact he's shown himself to be tactically inept many times this season.
Add to that, he still doesn't understand the need for balance in the team, and you can begin to understand our frustration.
Care to comment?
New balls indeed...
Are you seriously trying to pedal to argument that losing to Bolton was the only shit game we had last year because we lost by 2 goals instead of one .. and hence the team was better off in league terms under KD last year cause he lost only one game 3-1..
ReplyDeleteWe lost 14 games last year and most of them were to so called 'relegation fodder' .. I've been going to Anfield over 20 years and it was as bad as I ve ever seen . Spending weekends traveling back and forth from Ireland, 300- 400 quid a pop to sit depressed out of my head .. watching a unmitigated and misfiring disaster every time.
At least I'm getting to see some goals this year !! and the outstanding Luis Suarez doing his thing..
Funny no one mentions Suarez is on fire this year under Rodgers .. doubling his tally already to that under KD .. but surely that's nothing to do with the manager .. after all he's only responsible for everything that goes wrong .. right ..
I might by the way add I wasn't in favour of KD's sacking, I wanted to give him one more year.. but lets call a spade a spade , we were shit.. He was moved on and I've moved on .. Nothing will tarnish my memories our the achievements of the King but he's gone.
And sorry it's a league DVD only .. you can sit back crack open a few beers,your gonna need them!, and watch the horror show that was 2011/2012 season.
Your absolutely right mate .. No arguments from me that Rodger's has been tactically inept at times this season..
ReplyDeleteHe's made mistakes in team selection, tactics, substitutions and transfer market.. so do ALL managers. But in time, and time being the operative word, I would hope to see him reduce these mistakes to a level where he can have us competitive and successful again.
The defence needs sorting .. no doubt ! But we're banging in the goals at the other end , so some credit where it's due. I like to feel I'm balanced enough and watching ball long enough to know when the games up for a manager.. but there have been some positives and I expect a lot more next year.. If I don't see them come maybe then I'll get a bit cranky like some of the inmates in here LOL
I just can't understand why we can't talk about Rodger's without dragging up KD every time !
And i said the same last year when guy's couldn't talk about KD without dragging Rafa up all the time !
They say us Liverpool fans live in the past .. wonder what gives them that idea LOL
We kept 12 clean sheets last year .. we already have 11 this year .. and 8 games to go .. If we keep more than last year is it a better or worse season defensively ??
ReplyDeletefollowing your logic the forwards are been coached well cause we're banging in the goals.. GO Brendan .
Don't agree re Momo he's played for top clubs & has also be coveted by top clubs. When you mention M'villa I take it you agree with me?
ReplyDeleteJack Rodwell.....please?! Overhyped with very limited technical ability who shows no signs of cutting it at a top club!
Like anything due diligence is key, although Diame would provide good cover for Lucas. & wouldn't be such a risk with a 3.5mill buyout clause!
and thats why kenny went in for him om a free because when lucas was ruled out for the season in dec.2011 we were 3rd/4th in the table it makes me laugh people think BR is better than kenny its like someone tell me a kia is better than a merc.
ReplyDeleteIf we get Lucas playing like he did just before his big injury (like in those 2 Chelsea games, when he was colossal) then he's definitely good enough.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is, he seems to have regressed massively. Hopefully a full pre-season will help him, but we at least need quality competition for him next season.
Poorly recalled facts to justify that LFC won't make CL with Lucas in midfield? What the hell will we make if Allen is in midfield? Lucas was dropped due to a very average performance against Spurs, there's not much more to it.
ReplyDeleteLucas was a complete monster on the pitch for us for a season and a half and then he sustained 2 injuries in a row...IMO he's only half the player he was and he is much respected for a reason, because of his performances and resilience.
Liverpool have declined since 2010 because of crap financial and managerial decisions, as well as some top players leaving - Not because Lucas was anchoring the midfield.
i always thought luas would come good and anyone who knows me personally will tell you,i took some stik for constantly defending him but there are big differences between luas and allen which i have stated before the thing is i see absolutly nothing in allen what soever
ReplyDeletehow bout diame?? remember he give us lot of trouble back n front.....
ReplyDeleteallen will come good just not in a 2 man midfield its weird because even lucas had to re invent himself i mean he was a AM when he joined
ReplyDeleteRoy was a bad appointment and yh im gna get stick for this but Kenny set our club back at least 2 years with his tranfer policy it was a throw back of like the old division 1 traditonal wing man and big man at the top but im sorry 55 million for them to is a bit of a joke Hendo is coming good because he was finally coming into his own and playing in his rightful position last season he was shoved out on the wing whereas i see the same thing with allen his not a DM and he needs to be playin CM in a 3 for him to show how good he is yh Brendan was tactically wrong for the weekends match but southampton were good and no 1 showed up yh Lucas has regressed from his injury problems but thats only normal and he will come good again 2 bad games and his not good enough etc like Sturridge fans need to get real dips in form are part of the game after injury i keep sayin LFC fans need to start getting real and accept where we are right now its not the 80's we dont have a god given right to win every match we play after last weeks game O we got a favourable run it etc erm no its dnt work like that games are won on pitch and not paper Fickle fans do 1
ReplyDeletePfff Dante is a glorified right back. And why would he leave Bayern anyway? There is no one who thinks that Lucas is the steel in the middle of the park that we need, except for maybe Rodgers and Lucas himself, but Dante is not the answer. There are options in the Premier League with Cabaye, n'Zonzi and Diame whereas there are superb candidates on mainlaind Europe in the form of Moutinho, Vidal and Capoué.
ReplyDeleteKK still got his P45 & Allen is a LFC employee!
ReplyDelete"need a big black guy right in the middle, an athletic bruiser who is physically imposing"... Sterotype.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the KD thing. He certainly set the club back. I hate when fans worship players or managers like they are gods.
ReplyDeleteKD & Comolli spent a diabolic amount on money in one season which we are still feeling its effects. Glad he is not in charge anymore.
eah to there own i do not see him being anything more than average at best for lfc
ReplyDeletekk a lfc legend allen a complete flop and if rodgers gets the sack expect allens p45 will soon be in the post to him
ReplyDeletea bit like some fans are worshipin roders now and think hes fireproof
ReplyDeleteJamie I have to completely disagree with your assesment of Lucas. How you can claim he lacks a physical presence and strength when just prior to his first inital major injury he was up against Yaya Toure and had him in his back pocket through out the whole game. In fact while making one tackle he put Toure on his arse with Toure looking to ref for a free when in fact Lucas got the ball clean as whistle and with his upper body strength made a mockery of the suppossed best and strongest midfielder in the PL. Now yes since his injury he hasn't been back to that level yet, but you do not come back from an injury like that and be straight back to your best immediatelty.
ReplyDeleteThe fact he had a further injury on his comeback has obviously pushed that a little further down the line, but you can clearly see from some of his recent performances that he is getting there, slowly...but definitely surely. I would not swap Lucas for any other holding midfielder in the league...bar none. Carrick...not a hope, Toure...as consistant as a back road in the back of beyond..and also on astronomical wages, Diaby...please..., Parker...over the hill, Mikel...goes missing quicker than Madeline McCann...
The only player I would hold a torch to Lucas would be another Brazilian..Sandro. And he is out with a major injury, so will be interesting to see the kind of form he returns with. When Lucas gets back to full fitness he will be without doubt one of the first names down the teamsheet, alongside Mr. Suarez.
That too. BR has made some very clear mistakes and continuing to do so (overpraising) but I can see the progress I did not see with KD.
ReplyDeleteeach to there own i cannot but everyone as there own opinion
ReplyDeleteLucas is physical and does get stuck in. However, his intelligence and reading of the game is so good that he intercepts and hustles the opposition without the need for last ditch tackles. Perhaps you're after a Scott Parker type player? Brainless, but lunges in?
ReplyDeleteLucas is very clever and his distribution is very good as well.
Having said that, I would still take Mascherano over Lucas.
Please someone explain wtf Nicol is on about?? Dante is a central defender so why comparisons with Lucas and Allen???
ReplyDeleteWhat about Strootman??
ReplyDeleteI would love for Lfc to put a bid in for Alex Song at Barca. Hasn't settled by the looks of things and isn't getting much of a look in. Was by far and away Arsenals best midfielder last season and would be great to swap with Lucas throughout a full season.
ReplyDeleteand where did we finish? where will we realistically finish? a midfield that plays so deep. lost a lot of games because of our defence regardless of those pointless stats. coached bad??
ReplyDelete25+ years old and still need to learn how to tackle and head a ball ?? really.
granted they may need to learn to read the game better...........how long we got??
Next season LFC must bring in new centre back Mamadou Sakho and Stefan De Vrij and 1 more new CDM players.I think re signing Xabi Alonso is good decision but it's only a short term planning.Victor Wayama,Mauel Iturra,Lucas Biglia and Benat Extrebarria is very good signing.
ReplyDeleteI think we can agree to disagree on Momo. I liked him, but Ee played 2 DMS then and Xabi's ability masked Momo's limited technical ability. Playing with one DM like we do now, it would be detrimental not to have a DM who is very comfortable with the ball at their feet and can make a pass longer than 5ft as Allen has shown us in his cameos as DM.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, Diame as a backup is smart but I'm looking more at a solid DM to really push Lucas because while he does a job, I tend to agree with JK that we need a little more from a DM if we really want to challenge in the top 4.
As for Rodwell, I'm not suprised with the skepticism. But people forget how good the lad was before he left for City. A real all-action DM who, imo, could be a gem for a team that really gives him a chance. He's just fallen off the map as City benchwarmers tend to do but I think he could suprise everyone if we're smart enough to snap him up