Liverpool to sell Lucas… Why?
Reports today from various sources today claim Liverpool are now open to offers for Lucas Leiva following his exclusion from the squad that faced Stoke at the weekend. It was also claimed that the topic led to a “frank exchange” between the Brazilian and Brendan Rodgers.
Personally, I don’t believe this would be wise of Rodgers and it’s a decision that certainly raises a few eyebrows. Well, mine anyway. With a price tag of around £8m, the 28 year-old represents great value for money but you have to ask the question: Why? Lucas is arguably the best Liverpool have in this position. And let’s be honest, the club does have worse (Joe Allen) in terms of midfielders and only one other in Emre Can in terms of credible alternatives for the position. Is Can really ready to take on the role at the tender age of 20? Personally I don’t believe so. With the club fighting for four trophies this season, I don’t think the job of shielding the defence can be left on the young German’s shoulders.
The Mirror reported a while back – but refusing to go away – that Liverpool are after Real Madrid reject Asier Illarramendi but is he really that good? I’m not so sure. If he’s not good enough for Real Madrid, why should he be good enough for Liverpool Football Club? Is that what we’ve been reduced to? One thing is for certain. All of the new transfers into the club this summer were anything but out of favour with their clubs. Surely this, apart from their obvious quality, is what has made them so popular with the fans. My opinion is that Illarramendi is not good enough to play for Liverpool. So in the absence of a player that’s unquestionably better, I don’t see any benefit in selling Lucas.
The criticism I often hear about Lucas is that he concedes a lot of free kicks, in dangerous positions. I don’t believe this is because he’s a poor player. It’s obviously because he plays in front of the defence and thus if he does make contact, it’s inevitable that any infringement would result so. If that criticism was made about Jordan Henderson or James Milner I could understand the concern but frankly, they don’t play that position so it’s nonesense to say that. The fact is, for the last three or four seasons Lucas has been and remains the best performer in the position. Therefore, I don’t believe it is because of ability that one of Liverpool’s best servants of recent times is being sold.
We’ve seen over the summer, with the replacement of Colin Pascoe and Mike Marsh, Rodgers by his own admission, is seeking a new “technical direction” and we’ve seen evidence of this also in the type and calibre of players. Mario Balotelli and Lazar Markovic were poor signings last season. Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino are essentially the same players but with more quality and thus more suited to the kind of player the manager wants in these positions. The sad fact (if your name is Lucas Pezzini Leiva that is) is that the holding midfielder is not a position that the new technical direction will employ as part of the primary tactic. The primary focus is attacking football and having a defensive midfielder doesn’t work so well with this philosophy.
At the weekend we saw Can employed not as a defensive midfielder, but as as a holding midfielder. The least forward of three. The approach is not; in front of the defence per se, but more behind the midfield. There’s a difference. This tactic meant the focus was on attacking, where as with the defensive midfielder the focus is on… Well, defence. Think of Rodgers new approach this way: Attack is the best form of defence.
It’ll be a shame to see Lucas go. I still believe he has something to offer and at 28, he has plenty left in the tank. A more than useful alternative for a wet Wednesday January evening in Mansfield on a boggy pitch as well as against a Barcelona onslaught. As much as I may not like it, it’s Rodgers’ decision and we have to back him. The reality is that things change. Sometimes a new approach is needed and the things once held in great importance have to be surrendered gracefully and without bitterness. It’s just the way things go.
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