Lucas is the Unsung Hero in Kenny’s version of “The Makelele Role”

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From www.joescouse.blogspot.com

The Chelsea v Liverpool game gave the biggest insight yet into what Kenny believes to be his strongest eleven and his best system. The key to winning the game was how we operated in midfield, completely stopping Chelsea’s front six from playing.

Lucas partnered Gerrard, Meireles and at times even Skrtel in a very fluid central midfield. Lucas and Gerrard started as the central two but their average positions for the match demonstrate just how different their roles were:

Lucas’ average position was directly in front of Skrtel, significantly further back than Gerrard, whose average position was actually in front of Meireles. Gerrard being this far forward when playing in central midfield would normally be a cause for concern, but against Chelsea he and Meireles were able to support Kuyt without leaving Lucas exposed.

Since the Fulham game, where Gerrard played as the second holding midfielder in a 4-2-3-1, Kenny’s philosophy has been to allow Gerrard and Meireles the freedom to go forward without worrying too much about tracking back. Recent performances show that Gerrard and Meireles operate best when interchanging positions behind the lone striker. The key to their success is backing them up with either two holding midfielders (against Wolves) or a third central defender (Chelsea and Stoke).

For the second time this season against Chelsea, the star man was Lucas Leiva. If Lucas continually improves season on season as much as he has this year, it will not be long before he is being talked about in the same breath as the likes of Claude Makelele, Gennaro Gattuso and Sergio Busquets. His talent has been recognised by Brazil where he has been given the No 5 shirt made famous by Dunga, Mauro Silva and Cerezo.

After years of being a scapegoat, people are finally starting to see Lucas as he was seen by Benitez, but he has been on a tough journey to get his recognition. Coming into a Liverpool squad which contained Alonso, Gerrard, Mascherano and Sissoko had many fans scratching their head about why he was here in 2007. When he gave away a needless penalty and then got sent off in the derby at the beginning of 2009, he quickly became public enemy No.1 on the pitch.

Possibly his biggest crime was that he didn’t stand out. In many ways he still does not. He is not an all-guns-blazing midfield terrier like Mascherano, and he does not play those 50 yard inch-perfect passes like Alonso (Gerrard at his very best does both). This has inevitably led to questions being been raised about what Lucas actually does.

Makelele came in for similar criticism at Real Madrid. When he left, President Perez was quoted as saying, “We will not miss Makelele. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety percent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways. He wasn’t a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres.” This quote could easily be a fans forum post about Lucas back in 2009.

It was 2010 when Lucas finally started to get recognised. The Mascherano brand of hard tackling midfielder is being stamped out across the game, illustrated by the fact that “Mascha” had the Premier League’s worst disciplinary record last season with seven yellow cards and two red.

In the modern day game “intercepting” is the new tackling. When you intercept you stay on your feet and there is no risk of a foul or booking. Intercepting a pass gives the best possible opportunity for launching a counter attack. Fortunately for Liverpool, interception is one of Lucas’ specialities.

Against Chelsea, Liverpool made 26 interceptions and Lucas was responsible for 5 of them, 20% of the team’s total. His pass completion rate of 89% is made even more impressive by the fact that, of his 45 passes, 30 were forward balls. This proves that he is not the “90% back or sideways” passer he has been accused of being.

Whether we continue with the 3-5-2 formation or revert to 4-2-3-1, Lucas will be as pivotal a player for us as Busquets is for Barcelona. Whilst one of the attacking players will always get the man of the match from Sky Sports, or the Alan Shearer treatment on MOTD, it will be Lucas who acts as the fulcrum of the team, marshalling the defence and stopping attacks before they have a chance to start.

Here is what I believe will be Kenny’s first choice 11 once everybody is fit, with Lucas absolutely vital to the team’s success:

(With thanks to @AnfieldIndex for the stats).

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40 Comments

  1. i think you are right about the team and formation but with Suarez and mereiles swapped great article though and its about time people gave him the credit he has long deserved

  2. Firstly I agree about Lucas, getting better all the time, but as I’m short on time i’l come to the point, do you not think Suarez would be a better fit in a 4-4-2 formation, in the dalglish/Beardsley role?

  3. Very good article

    I wouldnt be surprised if Kuyt is used in the central positions to rotate with Meireles and Gerrard. His work rate is outstanding. I agree with everything you put forward. Well thought out.

  4. Great and well-articulated post! Thanks for the insight! Lucas is definitely a vital organ of the current squad and, in my opinion, marshals the energy and commitment of a Dirk Kuyt during every game. He has also worked hard and kept his head up even when the fans were not fully behind him. That shows class and character. Now that there is a resurgent belief in the squad and with the fans, Lucas will surely be bolstered. YNWA

  5. If you get all your opinions from Sky and the newspapers then yes, Lucas is an average player, a scapegoat, someone not fit to wear the red shirt.

    But if you actually follow the team and know a little something about football then you will know he is not an unsung hero. He is quality. Anyone remember the 4-1 against Man U? Lucas was my man of the match then and he’s been man of the match on many occasions since.

    Yet more proof that Rafa really knew what he was doing and has been disgracefully maligned by the media and so called “supporters”.

  6. you´re more or less correct, but pointing out, that skrtel plays a more offensive role than agger is plain wrong and in the future you might well take meireles back a little bit, because he is going to be behind suarez

  7. Good to see articles in praise of this man. I wrote an article myself back in 08 defending Lucas and the stick i got was overwhelming. More voices need to be heard in defense of the man who does the unseen dirty work.

  8. When we beat Man U 4-1 Lucas was man of the match, and has been again on many occasions since.

    He’s not an unsung hero to real supporters. He’s just a hero.

    Must try harder “guest writer”.

  9. Nice piece.Got into a bit of a tiff with someone about Lucas the other night over whether he should go or not.And to tell you the truth iv’e even become confused in my own thoughts about Lucas…

  10. I am loving the way we are playing under this system. without any world class wingers in our squad, i think it will get the best out of all our players (johnson especially) I agree with the first 11, although i’d play meireles slightly deeper & have swarez up near carrol. looks like a champions league team to me!

  11. Very good article. I must admit I have been hard on the lad but he has proved me and many others wrong. Its tough to come into a star studed midfield as he did but to also have many fans against him – he deserves a lot of credit. I still see Skrtel as a weak link and Carragher will be slowing down more. I think the summer will see us sure up in the back.

  12. Am I the only one that has been wanting our squad to play 3 at the back for a while now? The fact that kenny and clarke have decided to go with it makes so much sense with the squad we have. People are probably going to hate me for this but has anyone noticed how easily kelly was getting beaten at right back in a 4-4-2? It seemed everytime the left winger attacked they got the byline on him. I know he is only nineteen, but I believe that is another reason Kenny has gone for 3 at the back as it takes the pressure off Glen and Kelly. We have no wingers as every Red has been saying for years and finaly we are playing a formation that will get the best out of our squad. My biggest complaint with Kenny is that I think that whoever he drops is irrelevent but Fabio Aurelio absolutely deserves a spot in this team. NOBODY (including Gerrard) can Cross the ball like him, he is very solid in defense, and he brings composure to the team because he controls the ball quickly and keeps his head up. Personaly I would play this formation;

    ————————–Reina—————————-
    ———Carra————Skrtl———Agger————-
    Johnson———————————————Aurelio
    —————–Lucas———Gerrard———————
    ————————–Mierles————————–
    ——————-Suarez———————————-
    ——————————-Carrol———————–

    Also for me I am more excited about Pacheco and Suso then Shelvey and Kelly but at the end of the day there isn’t a manager that I trust more at the moment than Kenny, He could play reina center Mid and Suarez at keeper LOL, and i’d respect that. the Future is bright the future is RED, YNWA

  13. @SB 4-4-2 is just a really poor fit for the players that we have. Our wide midfielders (I’d argue we have none who are ‘natural’) are simply not creative enough and don’t offer satisfactory delivery into the box. They’ll look to cut inside on most occasions which makes us narrow on the attack.

    With more teams looking to play a 4-5-1, 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, 4-4-2 automatically sees us a player down in the midfield which would nullify the abilities of Meireles & Gerrard to get forward on the attack.

    With the prime squad available I’d expect to see us go to one of the 4-3-3 variations more often than not. One thing for certain is that Dalglish will be willing to shift things around tactically to suit the opposition, so the use of 3 at the back will be seen again.

  14. Lucas has been slated from pillar to post for years. The loyalty that we expect has not been going in his direction for most of this time. Sure, he wasn’t always the best, but he was not playing in his natural role in midfield, but he never complained and tried to get on with the job. I’m hoping that, in the coming years, he will get the chance to play further up the pitch. He’s now battled hardened by playing in that defensive role, but he has shown a lot of skill when allowed to get forward. He could turn out to be a fantastic player for us, if we get someone to play behind him and let him move forward, where any mistakes won’t be jumped on by all and sundry. You are not player of the year in Brasil if you can’t play and he scored more goals when he was over there. With all this talk about Torres and Reina, now is surely the time that we appreciate people like Lucas who have kept coming back for more, even when supporters were getting on his back. He’s sacrificed himself and his natural game time and again for the team and, until now, only received criticism for it.

  15. p.s. I’d love to see Lampard or Modric try to play an entire season as a defensive midfielder and see how they get on. That’s what we’ve asked Lucas to do for some time now and he’s done it well.

  16. Really interesting and well argued article. Thanks. Lucas is indeed a great player and the few remaining fans who fail to see this need to get off his back. He has won over most of the doubters and we need to keep him for many seasons to come. He is the rock on which we can build success. The Makelele reference is interesting. I would just have added that after Real Madrid sold him they didn’t win anything for years despite having a team of superstars. You need someone to do the donkey work for the team and that is why Lucas and Kuyt are so important. It is funny because he was actually bought as a Stephen Gerrard type player and has developed into something else. Keep it up Lucas- amazing to thing that idiot Roy Hodgson was prepared to sell you at the beginning of the season! Lets hope that mistake is not repeated.

  17. As regards your team formation- I think Suarez would have the most forward role with Kuyt behind him- that’s what happened against Stoke. Mereiles would be back on a line with Gerrard. In the summer we will buy some wingers and everything will change.

  18. Improved-yes. Average-yes. Tries his guts out-yes.slow- yes. Great passing game- no.Gives away rubbish penalties- yes. Like him- yes, i like all Liverpool players. Better options-yes , more flair,pace & vision will create endless opportunities with this formation. This lucas excitement is more based on the teams overall improvement, if anyone deserves extra creditation its Merieles who has shown massive quality in a team playing as well as anyone.

  19. Too right ST. Chris I done a post over on lfconline and got slated in the same manner, its ridiculous that people are so short sighted.

    Good article mate keep it up.

  20. Spot on , however I believe there should be a place for Joe Cole as I am disappointed he has not been given a fair chance to prove, Joe is a good player and who else knows JC better than our assistant coach Steve Clarke.

  21. Lucas is always in the teamsheet whenever he is available. He was never substituted by Kenny (if I can remember correctly). He is reliable and rarely concede unnecessary fouls unlike 3-4 seasons ago. He is growing in stature and it’s not uncommon that he is attracting alot of interest abroad. It is a mistake to sell him because I don’t think we currently have anyone better than him in his position. Alot of people still forget that he is still young and can continue to grow. He is no nonsense and loyal – an attribute lacking in many footballers nowadays.

  22. He has been great and improving. But one major problem he needs to work on it, which is loosing the ball. If you notice Lucas under pressure from opponents tend to loose the ball which the immediate result is counter attack specially if it in our final third. This also has happened in the first half in Chelsea game where the ball was robbed from him.

  23. Thanks for the comments, good points well made. I cannot wait to see what Kenny will do once has a full strength team to choose from. The biggest bone of contention on http://www.joescouse.blogspot.com when I first posted the blog was that I had left out Kuyt. My question back is where does he fit in?

    Add me on Twitter @joescouse_lfc

  24. Agreed. It’s good to see Lucas getting some credit, he was immense against Chelsea. Not sure about playing our new striker (111 in 159 for Ajax) in central midfield behind Meireles though

  25. Exellent article. Lucas has been groomed in Brazil to do this same role for the next World cup too.
    He is better for me than Mascherano simpley because he stays on his feet, can pass the ball better and doesn´t get as many cards.
    I knew he would be great and bought his 27 shirt when he first came into the squad. many players could learn how to act professionally from this young man and I´m sure that is why Kenny can trust him.
    When you see him on Brazilian TV showing journalists around Anfield and Melwood, you see he actually understands the club, the demanding and supportive nature of the fans.
    How old is he?

  26. Spot on, in every way. And to chuck in a dig at the Real Madrid ‘school of footballing philosophy’ always raises a smile.

    Still seething we didnt take advantage of said philosophy and snag Sneijder for 10mill

  27. We could possibly see this formation in some big games. But I don’t think Kenny has really stuck to any one formation. He changes every game depending on the opposition.

  28. Shaun – Lucas was 24 on 9th January,

    I have always championed Lucas, I think he is the future for Liverpool and see him as replacement for Gerrard, the lad just improves every season. The amount of stick he has taken from Liverpool fans in unbelivable he doesnt hide and plays with passion every game, when he isnt playing you notice bit like Ronnie Whelan

  29. Matty K you have not got a clue. Just because Mereiles is scoring the goals you say he is more important than Lucas. If Mereiles could tackle and head the ball he may come close to Lucas. The only thing I can add to the praise lavished upon Lucas in this article is that his ability to tackle without going to ground is huge. It allows him to control ball straight away allowing us to start a new move.

  30. Lucas is vital to Liverpool. He has rarely been sidelined through injury, he always fights for the LFC cause (despite continued unwarranted criticism from his own fans) and he is an all round player that can fit into any system.

    We must remember that not only can he defend, but he is also really good when deployed as an attacking midfielder. That is vital to our play when wanting to turn our defense into attack for a rapid counter.

    He is a great all-round footballer like Gerard, and that is invaluable to a team like ours. He has been the cornerstone of LFC by always making himself available for games and never complaining about where he is deployed.

    If you compare him to his compatriot at United (I cant even remember his name) or the chealski Brazilain he is in another class all together.

    And the best part of all is his age..can you imagine him in two years.

    Support those players who support us.

    YNWA

  31. Great article.. Lucas needs a new song, not the one like pepe reina, but a new song, then those who attend the game should sing it loudly.

  32. Great article and very well thought out. I totally agree re: Lucas and have to admit I have in the past given him a hard time, but in fairness the guy (despite a lot of abuse) has put his head down and really worked at mastering a position that in the beginning was very alien to him.

    I thought he was tremendous on Sunday – nothing flashy, just simple controlled football. I can only see him getting better and I hope more fans can appreciate him for what he is – a very good footballer and one that absolutely wants to play for LFC. Keep up the good work Lucas YNWA

  33. Red – stick to netball mate ,you dont have the intelligence to understand football. Merieles is scoring goals & creating them & his defensive reads are as good as Lucas without giving away dumb penalties. My comment was not based on who is the better player but if it was do you think anyone here would take your opinion seriously anyway???

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