
Football
Share
Published 14:38 19 Jan 2015 GMT
Updated 15:06 19 Jan 2015 GMT
Explore more on these topics:
Liverpool players and fans celebrate Rickie Lambert's strike at Villa[/caption]
Lucas has played every minute of the current eight-match unbeaten run that has catapulted the Reds back into the fringes of the race for Champions League qualification, and much has been made of club's record with and without him in the side. Liverpool have lost just one of the 12 Premier League games in which Lucas has featured, while they have won just two of the ten he sat out.
Included in the latter list is the only game he has missed since his recall, a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford that saw Liverpool control much of the game but fall victim to a Manchester United side that seized upon the visitors' defensive frailties whenever a chance came along.
The figures are stark when illustrating the way in which Lucas's presence in front of Liverpool's nascent back-three has solidified what had been a stunningly ineffective rearguard. With the 28-year-old on the field, the Reds have conceded a Premier League goal every 102 minutes, without him, it is one every 59 minutes.
To put that in perspective, that is the difference between the defensive records of leaders Chelsea and bottom club Leicester.
Of course, Burnley, Swansea, Leicester, Sunderland and Villa are not the calibre of opposition against which Liverpool will ultimately be judged, but given the club's predicament it has been a vital period of consolidation at Anfield, and with news of Steven Gerrard's summer departure and the understanding that the skipper is no longer going to be ever present in the side, Lucas has exuded a calm authority and assurance that has extended ahead of him to the likes of Jordan Henderson and countryman Philippe Coutinho and behind him to the ever-improving Emre Can.
[caption id="attachment_9655" align="alignnone" width="640"]
Lucas shadows Luca Modric earlier this season[/caption]
Knee problems have robbed Lucas of most of the pace and some of the physicality he once had, but his reading of the game remains as good, if not better, then ever and he is clearly looked up to as an elder statesman at Anfield, something that will be sorely needed in the coming 12 months when Gerrard's exit will see Henderson promoted to the captaincy at the age of 25 and defender Martin Skrtel as the only existing first-team regular over the age of 27.
If Lucas does indeed feel undervalued at Anfield then Rodgers needs to wrap an arm around him and convince him otherwise, and to the manager's credit he has been increasingly vocal in saying he does want to sell the Brazilian. Liverpool supporters are hoping the Irishman is sufficiently persuasive if his resolve is tested over the coming fortnight.The SportsJOE Friday Pub Quiz: Week 137
Another big teaser! The SportsJOE Friday Pub Quiz is going nowhere! Give it a crack and good luck!
Football
3 days ago
Live sport on TV in Ireland this weekend – Football, GAA, Rugby – April 24th to 26th
Some huge clashes! The ultimate TV guide for live weekend sport in Ireland is back! It’s another huge week in the Premier League with Arsenal hosting Newcastle, there are a host of massive inter-county championship matches in both hurling and Gaelic football, and there is an intriguing Irish derby in the URC to look forward […]
Football
3 days ago
Football
Quiz: Can you name the international sides these Everton players played for
Football