Lucas

[AussieRed]

Was it you who said he's better on the ball than Xabi?

 

Becoming more obvious every day. Try to watch with your eyes open. Even for Madrid, Xabi rarely ventures into the middle of midfield. He needs time on the ball to be effective. Watch Lucas, he makes his own time. Pay attention.

[Ted]

Jesus Christ. Are you for real?

 

Xabi made making space and time for himself a fucking art form.

 

He had time on the ball because he was and is one of the most intelligent footballers in the game.

[Lefti]

Lucas Leiva, Liverpools finest midfielder this season without doubt. Still no Xabi though, however he'll only improve.

[Ted]

Jesus, has our midfield been THAT bad?

 

He's been no better than Gerrard and yet Gerrard is having a poor season.

 

Figures.

[jackofdk]

Xabi=good

Lucas=crap

 

Four legs=good

Two legs=bad

 

Xabi apparently had the sun shining out of his arse during his five years at the club and never had a bad game or got caught in possession. And he offered so much going forward in terms of goals and assists, which makes his creativity impossible to replace. His pace when we were getting caught out and counter attacked was amazing as well. Amazing to think that every single one of his long cross field passes were delivered to perfection as well.

 

2004 years after the original Christ was born, a saviour landed upon Merseyside. Oh what joy.

[Ted]

Fuck off.

[AussieRed]

Jesus Christ. Are you for real?

 

Xabi made making space and time for himself a fucking art form.

 

He had time on the ball because he was and is one of the most intelligent footballers in the game.

 

I am as real as Madrid. I'm not saying he didn't have time on the ball. Read the post again. I said he needed time on the ball to be effective. He was effective that is not the argument. However, he did not carry the ball forward or advance into attacking positions. It's one of the reasons that Benitez was looking at Barry. He played to his great strengths.

 

I'm not critical of Xabi, like all professional footballers he maximises his strengths. As Beckham was criticised for not beating defenders, why would he have to if he could put the ball on his forwards head. Xabi was the same way. He can dictate play without getting forward. But Xabi rarely played the final ball. He normally played the ball into space to start an attack. Lucas has been doing the same thing. The problem is that withou5t Gerrard his efforts have been in vain. Hansen recently commented on it on the BBC. Is he wrong too?

[Ted]

I am as real as Madrid. I'm not saying he didn't have time on the ball. Read the post again. I said he needed time on the ball to be effective. He was effective that is not the argument. However, he did not carry the ball forward or advance into attacking positions. It's one of the reasons that Benitez was looking at Barry. He played to his great strengths.

 

I'm not critical of Xabi, like all professional footballers he maximises his strengths. As Beckham was criticised for not beating defenders, why would he have to if he could put the ball on his forwards head. Xabi was the same way. He can dictate play without getting forward. But Xabi rarely played the final ball. He normally played the ball into space to start an attack. Lucas has been doing the same thing. The problem is that withou5t Gerrard his efforts have been in vain. Hansen recently commented on it on the BBC. Is he wrong too?

 

 

Hansen also once said "You won't win anything with kids."

 

Maybe he was under instruction not to get into attacking positions? And for someone who seemingly contributes little in an attacking sense; he was our top scoring out and out midfielder last year.

 

You honestly think Barry would have come in and suddenly redefined and improved on the role Xabi did? Bullshit. Lucas, just like Barry, was a box to box player for his previous club and yet he's been turned into a holding midfielder (alledgedly) so how can anyone say with great confidence that Benitez would have done things differently with Barry in the side?

 

Actually, the strongest rumours were that Benitez wanted Barry for the left of midfield.

 

Lucas doesn't dictate play. Xabi used to make others play with his ability to pick passes. Players would make runs confident in the knowledge that there was a player there with the ability to find them wherever they ran. Lucas doesn't have this ability and doesn't bring this confidence to his team mates.

[Ted]

Also, you insist that Xabi needs time on the ball to be effective. Well in the Premier League you don't get that time. By that reckoning Xabi would have been found out within two minutes of his debut and fucked off when Benitez still had the knack for getting rid of the the under-performers.

[Delmar]

Also, you insist that Xabi needs time on the ball to be effective. Well in the Premier League you don't get that time. By that reckoning Xabi would have been found out within two minutes of his debut and fucked off when Benitez still had the knack for getting rid of the the under-performers.

 

Throughout his time here Xabi was criticized for needing more time than you get in the PL. He got this time by collecting the ball from the CBs, playing only a few yards in front of them. His best point was seeing the next pass before he collected the ball, and being able to execute it. But it was mostly from deep positions. There were many games when he was marked a bit more tightly, and we suffered as the CBs were too used to having him as the go to guy.

 

Lucas is gaining in confidence all the time. The players around him trust him more, and like yesterday, he plays more passes forward to the front 4. He also gets more and more into goal scoring positions. The finishing, though, is still lacking (like yesterday), that is clearly his next area to improve. Overall, however, he has been our best midfielder this season, and as I've stated before, we have not lost the matches in the midfield.

[Ted]

We've not lost matches in midfield because our midfield has been mostly non-existent during our losses. So teams haven't needed to match us in the middle. Fiorentina and Spurs being the shining examples of this.

 

 

JK1980, give it up you odious fucking cunt.

[Lefti]

Throughout his time here Xabi was criticized for needing more time than you get in the PL. He got this time by collecting the ball from the CBs, playing only a few yards in front of them. His best point was seeing the next pass before he collected the ball, and being able to execute it. But it was mostly from deep positions. There were many games when he was marked a bit more tightly, and we suffered as the CBs were too used to having him as the go to guy.

 

Lucas is gaining in confidence all the time. The players around him trust him more, and like yesterday, he plays more passes forward to the front 4. He also gets more and more into goal scoring positions. The finishing, though, is still lacking (like yesterday), that is clearly his next area to improve. Overall, however, he has been our best midfielder this season, and as I've stated before, we have not lost the matches in the midfield.

 

Agreed. Lucas is good player, not a very good player and not a game changing one but he is only going to improve and prove all you doubters eventually wrong. His tracking back has been top notch alongside his new passing range and his bursts forward. He has been far better than anyone else whose played in centre mid so far that includes Gerrard, Mascherano, Spearing and Aquilini (albeit for 15 minutes).

[House of Dirk]

It depends what you think is a good performance from a CM I guess.

 

Personally I thought he did nothing useful like ever and together with Voronin he missed a chance I would put away 15 out of 10 times.

 

Cant wait to see this waster out of our team, as it is now I think we have the least creative midfield in Europe, simply not good enough.

 

You are a 15 year old girl and I claim my ten pounds.

[Delmar]

We've not lost matches in midfield because our midfield has been mostly non-existent during our losses. So teams haven't needed to match us in the middle. Fiorentina and Spurs being the shining examples of this.

 

 

JK1980, give it up you odious fucking cunt.

 

I disagree with your first point as it makes no sense. If the midfield had been non-existent, we would have lost the games there. However we did not, these games were mostly decided by individual errors by others than the midfield.

 

What/who is JK1980? Or was that not directed towards me? The odious fucking cunt part I understand better, there are plenty of us to share that description here...

[Ted]

JK1980 is a fucking idiot who can't post on here and chooses to just rep people with abusive comments instead.

 

How does it make no snese? The Spurs game, our midfield was complately outmuscled by Palacios etc. It was painful to watch.

 

Fiorentina's midfield were running circles around both Lucas and Aurelio.

[2pak]

It depends what you think is a good performance from a CM I guess.

 

Personally I thought he did nothing useful like ever and together with Voronin he missed a chance I would put away 15 out of 10 times.

 

Cant wait to see this waster out of our team, as it is now I think we have the least creative midfield in Europe, simply not good enough.

 

Totally agree. "Neat and tidy" is all you hear. It's a sad day at Liverpool FC when midfielders are judged on how few mistakes they make.

[cmuller]

Credit where it's due. He's played better this season than I ever thought he would be able to. Still not at a level where you'd class him as first choice although if he carries on improving?

 

I always was impressed by Rafa's midfield at Valencia, Baraja and Almeda, the way they used the ball and prompted the rest of the side. I wouldn'y say there is conclusive proof but Lucas does show signs of becoming a player of that type. Just nice and effective and efficient.

[Ted]

Totally agree. "Neat and tidy" is all you hear. It's a sad day at Liverpool FC when midfielders are judged on how few mistakes they make.

 

Actually, that about sums it up in here. Nothing more needs to be added.

 

Later.

[Fowlers God]

at the start of the previous 2 seasons I have not been able to see what Benitez saw/scouts saw in Lucas.

 

Over the last 5'/6 games I think he has grown in confidence. Out of masch and himself he has been the better midfielder this season for us. He has been consistent. I do not think Masch under performing has come about because his head got turned. (His head did get turned but this does not affect your football) but I believe it to be down to the pressures of being Marrodona's captain for an underperforming nationality.

 

By no means I am saying he is going to become a dynamic driving force for our team creating oppetunity's left right and center. But this chap is either excelling or everyone else is playing so far under par that it is making him look good.

 

His chance last night, yes was a good one. however give the keeper some credit he made a fine save.

 

This is the first time that I have ever publicly admitted to saying anythin positive about Lucas. And I am sure that there will still be questions asked about him in the near future. All Lucas has to do is answer those questions. If he is to be judged on previous seasons gone by then it is not a fair representation of a player that so far has been in most peoples top 3 for man of the match consitantly.

 

Do i still think Aquailani will take his place in the squad. Yes. Buit that is just to give the team a better shape and direction. Will he be a key player for us this season. I think he already has.

[silverlining]

Becoming more obvious every day. Try to watch with your eyes open. Even for Madrid, Xabi rarely ventures into the middle of midfield. He needs time on the ball to be effective. Watch Lucas, he makes his own time. Pay attention.

 

You sad, hopeless, mental cunt

[me1]

Aussie Red - yep to the stubborn point.

Still it's nice to know they're having to eat shit.

[zico]

I am as real as Madrid. I'm not saying he didn't have time on the ball. Read the post again. I said he needed time on the ball to be effective. He was effective that is not the argument. However, he did not carry the ball forward or advance into attacking positions. It's one of the reasons that Benitez was looking at Barry. He played to his great strengths.

 

I'm not critical of Xabi, like all professional footballers he maximises his strengths. As Beckham was criticised for not beating defenders, why would he have to if he could put the ball on his forwards head. Xabi was the same way. He can dictate play without getting forward. But Xabi rarely played the final ball. He normally played the ball into space to start an attack. Lucas has been doing the same thing. The problem is that withou5t Gerrard his efforts have been in vain. Hansen recently commented on it on the BBC. Is he wrong too?

 

 

But that's the problem he doesn't !! And when he TRIES it is usually to late...

 

90% of Lucas' passing is sideways, not forward and never long range.....

 

If he occationally played those brilliant balls in between the lines to feed Gerrard, Torres or whoever plays there I would be happy, but that does not happen, as he does not have the orientation skills that Alonso had...

 

Alonso would pass the ball between the lines in one touch, or spend a little time on the ball and spread it out wide, whilst we now have two midfilders who spend to much time on the ball and who do not have the same orientation skills as well as long range delivery skills, the result of that is to many sideways passes and having to break down organized/balanced defenses (Which is harder than when Torres/Gerrard/Alonso caught then unbalaced on the counter attack all of last season)

 

Lucas have grown on me this season, but as a decent squad player who could fill in for Mascher against inferior sides....

 

I would have liked us to go for Banega of Valencia for the position that Lucas currently holds in the team, as he has better vision in his passing (Hopefully this is where Aquilani comes into play)

[El Rojo]

Xabi=good

Lucas=crap

 

Four legs=good

Two legs=bad

 

Xabi apparently had the sun shining out of his arse during his five years at the club and never had a bad game or got caught in possession. And he offered so much going forward in terms of goals and assists, which makes his creativity impossible to replace. His pace when we were getting caught out and counter attacked was amazing as well. Amazing to think that every single one of his long cross field passes were delivered to perfection as well.

 

2004 years after the original Christ was born, a saviour landed upon Merseyside. Oh what joy.

 

Probably a bit harsh on Xabi but I agree that there has been some serious revisionism on his importance to us. He certainly upped his game in 2008/09, but prior to that he often struggled to impose himself against top class opposition who didn't allow him space on the ball.

 

He didn't score goals and didn't chip in with loads of assists either so I reckon we'd still be struggling even if we had him this season, though obviously not to the same extent.

 

Real aren't exactly firing on all cylinders this season either.

[Code]

 

Sometimes there's just not enough neg.

 

We were going to Lyon to win the game, what on earth do you think Lucas contributed to the cause, you know you have to score to win a game just to mention it.

 

Lucas is the synonym of a nothing player.

[Code]

Jesus Christ. Are you for real?

 

Xabi made making space and time for himself a fucking art form.

 

He had time on the ball because he was and is one of the most intelligent footballers in the game.

 

Not to forget the even more important, space and time for his teammates.