Lucas Leiva has completed 449 passes this season with a pass accuracy of 85%, of which 79% were forward passes. http://www.squawka.com/players/lucas-leiva/stats Or, you know, use your eyes. He gets the ball and looks up. When he's not playing alongside Gerrard who's standing on his toes or in Skrtel's lap, there are always players ahead of him who he passes to.
Yeah, maybe he is wary of his body still and doesn't want to break down again. Like I say, some good gym work will help with that. Get himself more ripped the confidence and strength will come back. He needs to play more as well for match conditioning. That's Rodgers' fault. You can't replicate match experience anywhere else.
Lucas is not bad in a very compact midfield. In an open end to end game he's awful. Makes such bad decisions and he's too often made a mug off in the tackle. Always getting caught upfield ahead of the ball too, for a DM that's He's do better at Stoke. Never had an issue with his passing, positioning and decision making on the other hand. Lucas like a wander forward and gets caught ahead of the ball so much. More often than not he's absent from that slot in front of the back 3 and off out wide or near the centre. Give lucas a small zone to own in a compact midfield and he will perform, limited scope to think, that's why. As soon as he has any sort of expanse to manage, he seems to go hiking and gets lost He'd do well for Stoke but not for our style unless you use the likes of Can to help him out as well as henderson when we don't have the ball in a midfield battle. Lucas will never be any sort of playmaker, and the way we are playing atm, our set up, we need someone in that slot that can actually make some good passes. In saying that a lot of times it ain't his fault, no one shows for a pass and he has to go sideways or backwards and often there is a huge gap between him and the forwards, a gap filled by opposing players. Like Gerrard, our system has allowed for Lucas to be overrun too in games and that makes you look awful, when in truth the manager or teammates let him down so it ain't all down to Lucas though he has had bad games for sure.
It's overlooked a lot on here how much an injury, especially a fairly bad/long term one, can affect a player in matches. It's physical and mental, there's that voice in their heads saying don't go for this one 100% because you might pull / snap / tear / aggravate something again. Players of Lucas and Johnson's age as well don't bounce back like 20 year olds so they're thinking about that as well.
@Sisu I actually think that Rodgers is asking Lucas to push higher up when he's partnered with Henderson. One presses and the other sits, depending on who's better placed to do so. It's by no means the best part of his game to venture past the halfway line though and I'd prefer he didn't, but I don't think that's down to him as he never used to do it.
1. hes **** offers nothing but sideways passes or fouls - I personally have no issue with Lucas' fouls . Theyre the take one for the team fouls that no one else in our side seems to want to do. The sideways myth has been dealt with in another post. 2. I believe you are on the wum when you mentioned Carrick. 3. I stopped reading your post after point 2.
Fair point though I do remember complaining about this exact same thing under hodgson where I said he should not go far beyond the half way line and I got called "Roy Hodgson" by a few on here and mocked a little Lucas has been doing that since Rafa mate. Lucas lacks tactical discipline unless he's shackled in a compact midfield with someone more organised. Probably why he'd never be captain material
Our worse games this season have come when Lucas is not in the side. Thats the bigger picture. Your focusing on the materialistic qualities of one single player. The team is balanced better with out him. Right now we are a long way off the league so its not even worth talking about.
I said this yesterday, except Can would be right side of midfield with Henderson just inside him and lallana ahead of them, as Lallana and henderson push on Can pulls in to the centre alongside Lucas or as an attacking option through the centre as opportunities arise with Manquillo filling in on on that side in those times when Can does make a move up through the middle, we'd remain balanced and have good numbers in attack, but mainly he'd be shifting left alongside Lucas with 3 behind them and be an anchor for passing in an opponents half, I'd prefer Can do that than Lucas and if there's a ****up, you still got Lucas back there instead of no one when Lucas does **** up.
I say stick to the 343 for now. Rodgers is changing things to much and this 343 has seen some improvement in form.
He played some of his best football last season next to Modric. Alonso was the only real protection and was also the one who turned defence into attack. Song does a similar role and very well at West Ham. I wouldn't knock them.
