LUCAS has been a Liverpool player who has always had more meaning attached to him than many that he has shared the pitch with. He’s a footballer with signifiers. You can probably tell the story of this football club through him over the last 10 years far better than any player.
It’s Lucas that comes on for Steven Gerrard in a Merseyside Derby to calm things down. It’s him who gets booed onto the pitch as Rafa Benitez’s player when the madness was at its height. The Brazilian stood for the lazy inaccuracies of pundits around Benitez when, for instance, Jamie Redknapp forgot Lucas, not Xabi Alonso, had played against Manchester United in the 1-4 of 2009. Lucas was top of Christian Purslow’s ridiculous list to be got rid of, a list which stands along with a dossier and alongside a managerial appointment of everything that was wrong with everything.
Lucas probably epitomises most of what was very good about Kenny Dalglish’s half season in charge and it is probably his injury which fatally undermined Dalglish’s full season in charge — a League Cup game too many which suggests the danger of taking the cups too seriously versus the league. His return under Brendan Rodgers was meant to signify a new footballing era with the manager talking him up on arrival but another injury undermined all that along with Rodgers’s first three months.
From there Lucas starts against Spurs in 2013 before losing his place and getting injured again in January 2014 before returning and looking leggy in a leggy side in the run in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUClozk2qRk
It’s Lucas’s leap into the crowd against Aston Villa last January which means everything, as much — if not more — than Rickie Lambert’s actual goal. He has a nibble, he can’t get in and so he launches himself among the most joyous of Reds on one of those days which remind you just why football is magic. His return to the side, and Liverpool’s returning solidity, and his sheer exuberance in sudden clear and obvious victory. This was, from nowhere, a Liverpool team you could get behind.
Lucas’s performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the League Cup was marvellous — a masterclass in thinking your way through a very fast game. This was a Lucas Leiva Liverpool team. Then another injury at Goodison before re-emerging to a 1-4 defeat at Arsenal with everyone moving past him and past them. Lucas and Liverpool then knuckled down to win at Blackburn but the season petered out around him.
And now it is reported he may well want to go. This is completely understandable. The start against Stoke City looked like it was his to lose and he lost both it and a place on the bench. There was surprise from many on TAW at how critical those of us who went to Swindon and did the post-match show were about Lucas’s performance but he really did look off the pace when they were playing around him. However this criticism and the eventual loss of place might be slightly harsh. What isn’t harsh is the reality that it is difficult to find a regular place for him in a midfield that would expect Milner, Henderson and Coutinho to start every week and has arguably another four pushing for inclusion behind them. The manager not including Lucas can be understood, the player being furious with that decision likewise.
Lucas Leiva deserves to play games. He should play games. He is a very good, very intelligent, experienced footballer who shouldn’t be mooching around waiting to be given one start in four. There are many teams in this league and across Europe for whom he would be a starter. Starting would also help him get his full sharpness back and could see him end up with fewer injuries.
If I were feeling greedy I’d argue we should force him to stay, wind his contract down, use him for those odd games, having him be the set of stabilisers he’s been for this team and manager before. The safety net. I’d want him to be at our beck and call for when we need him. Because we will probably need him if he goes. There’ll will be a day, a game, a moment. If he goes, you’ll say at some stage this season and next, wish we had Lucas now. Wish we had Lucas for this last 20. Wish we had Lucas for Sunday.
Because Lucas still has meaning. And his departure would have meaning, in a strange way perhaps even more than Gerrard’s whose legs had simply had enough. His departure would be that there is a football team that needs to go without him for better or worse, a football manager that’s made a choice that he can’t allow himself to break glass and reach for Lucas and must instead find different solutions, trust different players and be moving forward.
If he stays great stuff. If he goes he goes in the greatest of grace. Not many you can say that about. The story of Lucas Leiva is about hard work, intelligence and redemption. There have been highs, there have been lows but there has always been a fundamental decency. We’ll always have Villa.
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Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda Photo
Good article Neil. Something that’s always struck me about Lucas is that he is a sort of barometer for the intelligence of so-called fans. For example, in the depths of the Hodgson era, I remember having a conversation with another Liverpool fan about the team and she said something like “and I can’t believe that Lucas is still in the team”. At that, I realised there was no point in having a sensible conversation with her.
Yeah I bet she said the same thing about you
Confirming your point there Rich
I feel the same way about Sakho and Allen. If you can’t see that Sakho is boss, you’re not right. And if you can’t see the value of having Allen in the squad, that he’s only good for square passes, I immediately know that you are unobservant and certainly don’t bother to check off-the-ball work.
I agree about Sahko and Allen.
In fact I think my point can be summarised: if you don’t agree with me, you’re an idiot!
Brilliant stuff. He’s a player I’ve grown to love, in a peculiar way, over recent years. Like many I’d be saddened if he left as we don’t have (m)any similar options, but then again, we do need others to step up and fill the vacancy. That ‘stage dive’ though – just amazing…
We can’t afford to lose Lucas. Allen is a waste of space, he can’t tackle, he’s easily knocked off the ball, he’s a lightweight wimp.
Both Allen and Lucas are cowards, leeches and wimps. Lucas has been a common denominator of 1 trophy in 9 years.
Outstanding. Why should we wait for fans of other clubs to belittle our players when we have ‘fans’ like you?
That Rodgers is prepared to let Lucas go but keep Allen is mystifying. It’s decisions like this that make it hard for me at least to have faith in Rodgers. We need experience, commitment and leadership, all qualities exemplified by Lucas. Throw in that he’s a very good defensive midfielder who can prompt attacks with quick intelligent passes and the decision is flawed and based on what? Injuries, if that was the case he’s be joining Sturridge out of the door. To me it is simple, he is the last of Rafa’s men, Allen is the ‘Welsh Xavi’ so a no brainer for Rodgers.
This is were BR should earn his corn keep LL and bring him into the team for certain runs of games eg the away games coming up as we have no one else who has the game intelligence to play like a proper CDM and pick pockets and then give a simple pass to start a move off again .great article by the way …@roobieohare
There really is no good reason why Henderson, Milner and Coutinho should all be on the pitch at the same time for every game, and all playing in CM.
In fact, I predict that if we try that and persist with it, we are going to suffer.
I hope we haven’t substituted Milner for Gerrard’s “undroppable” spot.
How on Earth Allen is considered to be “ahead of” Lucas as either a lone withdrawn central midfielder (‘controller’) I will never know.
I don’t care what “Rodgers wants”. If what Rodgers wants is stupid, then I am not siding with him.
Lucas Leiva has been a model of stability and reliability in the post-Rafa era, arguably our most consistent player when fit. A great guy and model pro too, by all accounts. I’ll be sad to see him go. He’s a very intelligent player.
Brendan’s made his bed now, he’ll only have himself to blame if things don’t work out, and can take all the credit if they do.
Well said. Consistent and acted well as an example to the many youngsters in the team. Lucas was initially a figure of fun for other fans, but they shut up about that as he clearly improved.
A Leicester City that’s just lost Cambiasso should take note. I hope he stays and competes for a place as that would be so typical of the player.
Hee hee a model of stability? I bet all our rivals had sleepless nights at the thought of facing Lucas didn’t they? Yeah OK mate.
Fuck were you in 2011? You’re the wimp, if anyone is.
Why don’t you go back to Redcafe where you belong you troll?
Sad man…
As Colon Powell said (more or less), “You may not like us, but when you need help, who are you gonna call?”
Sell Lucas and Sakho, and when the shit hits the fan (and it will) – “Who are you gonna call?”
Allen?
Lovren?
Here we go again.
There’s a large blind spot on these discussions in that none of us are privy to any training or coaching sessions. Whatever Rodgers might”ve said to Lucas 6 months ago has little relevance now. That’s a long time in football. He should never make promises he cant keep as thats just bad form, but he watches these guys day in day out. We last saw Lucas at Swindon.
Just because a player is upset over not being picked doesn’t mean it’s not the correct decision. Every player wants to be picked. Lucas has been a great player for us and by all accounts is a great guy, but I’m gonna side with the coaching staff on this one.
Very, very good player when fit but too often injured and debilitated by those injuries.
Wants to play every week but is fourth choice behind Henderson, Milner and Can.
Club wants him to stay but will listen to offers.
Don’t see why Rodgers gets it in the neck again for this one.
‘…a League Cup game too many which suggests the danger of taking the cups too seriously versus the league.’
It’s our only trophy in the past 9 years to be fair, but yeah, that injury done Kenny in more than Suarez’s ban that season because Lucas was touching Mascherano levels that year.
I think what Neil’s trying to say here is that Lucas is the hero Liverpool deserves, but not the one it needs right now :)
Hi Tom, nothing personel in this but why have people taken up this arbitary 9 years thing?
Its a recent thing and is usually used to criticise the club and I think I either first saw/heard it on Radio 5 or in the guardian.
How about 5 years or ten years or even 15 but not nine please or is there something special about this number! :)
It’s nothing weird like. No agenda. Just a fact. If the manager was anyone but Dalglish I’d give zero shites about a 2012 league cup. Had me fill of it under Houllier and the title challenges where we ended up empty handed of ’09 an ’14 top everything in my lifetime that isn’t 2005 and 2001.
It’s just our only winners honour since Gerrard ’06. Just saying that particular cup run ended in Liverpool lifting a trophy at wembley (an I’m a Cardiff generation kid so I could give a fuck about new wembley anyway tbh).
We _will_ require Lucas’s services this season, mark my words.
If he goes and we do not replace him with as good (and preferably younger) or better, we WILL suffer.
This is not sentiment (of which I have tons, and positive, towards Lucas) it’s realism.
I don’t understand how Lucas played so many games in preseason (and in a smaller way, was in with BR in one of those preseason press-conferences- in picture at start of article), to suddenly and mysteriously disappearing from even the bench.
Perhaps he’ll play against some of the less tricky teams like Bournemouth and allow Milner and Henderson to go forward more. With Coutinhio and Firmino/Lallana ahead of Benteke.
But if Lucas is not going to feature then why an earth did he feature so much in preseason? Surely the Swindon game can’t swing it so much?
Do the players actually generally get told of how many games they’re getting or is it a decision made 2/3 days before a match?
The problem for Lucas is that there are those who feel “We can do bettter” when they dismisd him. They think that out in Germany/Spain/Italy there are defensive midfielders who are infallible just waiting to be bought. There aren’t.
There are very, very few defensive midfielder who don’t commit cheap fouls (Mascherano was a pro at picking up “unnecessary” cards, something a lot seem to have forgotten), who play chsmpagne passes, who score goals, who sprint like Usain Bolt, who are the size of a tank and most importantly, who love this team. Infact I’ll wager theres no one who even has more than two of those attributes out there.
But sure, we can do better than Lucas, we can do better than, Henderson, we can do better than Coutinho, we can do better than Skrtl and on and on.
No, it’s bollocks. You can drag up individual games that we’ve won with him in the side and claim he played a major role, but watch him, just watch him and watch how little he contributes. Watch the game away at Arsenal in 2013-14 when an ambling Lucas was overtaken by Cazorla. Watch again as Lucas gave up, which meant Cazorla was able to miss his first attempt and still score, unchallenged, from the rebound. He’s a waste of space.
You must have a short memory if you have to cherry pick one moment where he had a bad game. It can happen every now and again, especially a quality team like Arsenal…
The idea that Lucas did not play well vs Swindon is one of those “pseudo-facts”. A falsehood rendered “true” by dint of sheer repetition.
I challenge anyone to claim he/she has watched the match vs Swindon even once, carefully and methodically, and concluded that Lucas did not have a good game.
I will believe until I take my last breath that Rafa cost himself the league title in 2009 by playing a young and inexperienced Lucas Leiva when withdrawing either Alonso and/or Mascarano or worse still playing him from the off. I can’t quite recall the individual games however I can remember at that time of his career the games just passed him by and as the main consequence I think we drew 10 games that season, the majority of which were at Anfield. I was a season ticket holder at the time, I said it then and I believe it today, LFC would not lift the Title with him in the team. He is simply not good enough, fit enough or reliable enough.
I’ll concede he’s gotten better with age as should any pro worth his salt but the bottom line was and still is; what does he bring to the party especially in his earlier days….. Fuck me I can recall how useless he was. Couldn’t score, couldn’t thread a killer ball, couldn’t read the game or tackle without giving away free kicks in danger zones, he always needed a taxi to the tackle FFS!! He had no pace in his early to mid 20’s never mind at the minute, he couldn’t head a ball….. ‘kinell, need I continue and everyone who knew football could see it. Classy or quality CM’s have to control and dictate the pace of the game from the Middle of the park. I’ve said it already he had to catch taxis as he was always chasing the game and never in control.
Balls, utter balls from the type of supporter that probably gleefully boo’d their own player onto the pitch and then said ‘ nah that never happened’.
Just to take one point to task – Go back to 2008 and watch the Newcastle 5-1 away win game and look at how good Lucas was and at someone who could’nt play a killer ball play a killer ball for Stevie to score!!
Sorry mate I cant agree with you on this at all. Saying Lucas isn’t as good a midfielder as Mashcerano and Alonso isn’t really criticism as it is true of most midfielders on the planet. Also to state he is no good in the air and cant read the game is just silly. He one of our best players in the air and if you think he isn’t intelligent then you are either watching a different player to me or know less about football than my bird – and she from New Zealand!
This wasn’t aimed at you obviously Andrew if was for the fella above you
Well thank God for that!! ha :)
You wrote: “There are many teams in this league and across Europe for whom he (Lucas) would be a starter.” Really – so, how come they’re not queing up to sign him ?
Maybe because we haven’t officially put him up for sale?
Lucas is a brilliant player on his day. When you consider how many ‘days’ he has though the answer is simple for me. Putting loyalty and servitude behind us we still need a better defensive midfielder. Someone who has the defensive qualities of Lucas breaking everything up and the passing qualities of Allen to get us moving forward. I don’t think we have a player who does both. For me, the answer isn’t Lucas (when all things considered including injury record) it’s not Allen, Can or Henderson its someone we haven’t signed yet who provides the answer. So, if we can keep hold of him for this season then great. Long term we need to go back into the market. People go on about the Stoke defeat still and the attitude of it didn’t matter but by accepting Lucas we’re accepting mediocrity there instead. The reason we argue over who should play that role is because no one stands out head and shoulders above the rest. Compare that to our rivals and you’ll realise in that department we’re in the next tier. We’re clearly behind them. For a fan base that think we should be signing every top player in Europe and winning the league it strikes me as a discord that we accept Lucas as he’s been for the last few years. Still the best we have for that specific role but not quite enough. We need someone at Carricks level.
Andrew, I’ve never booed the Reds ever in my life. If there’s been a time to be critical and my Lord has there been plenty indeed, I’ve always done it after the game. And I must concede your memory is far better than mine, with that said can you think of any other alleged instances than at Newcastle in 2008, (where btw SG8 ran the show) when Lucas made such a memorable positive impact in a game? I’m not one who normally gets involved in I told you so’s however I rest my case.
Lucas has always played in the shadows of superior players and to use a current sound bite has almost lived up to the tag of a water carrier.
I kid you not when I say there were plenty of Kopites whom at around that period leading up to the 2008 were demanding to see his Brazilian passport as his lack of skill and ability to read the the game where such a major cause for concern. LL has been given far more time to adapt to the EPL than many other young players have had the good fortune, and since he did begin to get to grips his body has not been able to cope with the physical demands, hence why he’s always chasing the game and flagging taxis to a tackle. Therefore it will no doubt come as no surprise to those who know me or who are reading this, that we should cash in and afford the same time and patience to some the new generation young talented players. Although here is a thought to chew on, what is certain is any young players at the club will not be given anywhere near the same as he was generously afforded. And I’m talking far better players than him at a similar age of 19/20 and we all could currently name half a dozen of them.
Ah yes the classic ‘In 2008 we wanted to see if he was even Brazilian’ gambit. Usually trotted out by people claiming that Jay Spearing was the superior player and it was only Benitez’s idiocy that was holding Spearing (and the team) back.
As with Benitez, people have hollered for long and hard for Lucas to be got rid of. This is a player with more tactical nous than i’d wager any of us on these sections, a guy who has played for Brazil (though another convenient stick to beat him with there is the ‘but this Brazil is shoite, he’d never get in the xxxx team’)
Lucas has been the consumate pro in the time he’s been here, never given credit for his ability, you throw out the term ‘water carrier’ as an insult yet he was exactly what we needed but then some people don’t like players who keep possesion ticking over, they want the flashy ball, the step over, the roy of the rovers. Ridiculous.
Lucas is for my, captain material. A leader, a man who is the ultimate clubman, a guy who quite clearly, would go through hell for this club ( and has ).
As we saw last season when again he was written off by the management team, you discount him at your peril. He came, settled and dominated. Still a class act.
BTW one thing that sticks in my craw is the “the club dont want to sell but will accept offers’ schtick. That means they want to sell otherwise you’d have a ‘he isnt for sale’ statement. So lets not pretend that the club don’t want him gone here ok?.
Lucas is a club legend and although he’s lost his legs after a number of horrific injuries, he’s still a terrific player in the right tactical set-up.
He brings experience and calm (both on and off the pitch) and is a good ambassador in attracting foreign talent (Coutinho, Firmino for example).
There are going to be plenty of games for him to show his qualities. Problem is though that he wants more game time than the manager wants to give him. So it makes sense he wants to leave.
I’d hate to see him go and not be replaced though as there’s nobody with anywhere close to his reading of the game in the existing set-up.
He’ll be missed that’s for sure…
Well, good to see the “Lucas-is-shite” contingent represented in the comments’ section of TAW.
Also known as the “I disagree with Rafa’s assessment of Lucas, who’s forgotten more about football than I ever hope to learn in my lifetime” club.
Geniuses, the lot of yas.