da wazamba： Since first arriving at Anfield under the reign of Rafa Benitez in 2007, Lucas Leiva has hardly been someone to set the Premier League alight. On the contrary, some may even be entirely forgiven for wondering why the 28-year-old South American still remains a Liverpool player in the modern era.
da blaze casino： The former Gremio youngster may have initially been introduced within the English top-flight as an up and coming star with bags of potential under his belt – but in reality – Lucas has seemingly achieved very little at Merseyside on an individual level. He is one of these players that somehow remain an ever-present staple within their respective first team set-up, without really producing the goods worthy of holding down such an important role.
So then, as the Reds currently go into the rest of the 2015/16 campaign with a distinct cloud of uncertainty hanging over Brendan Rodgers in the managerial dug-out at Anfield, just how is Lucas Leiva still operating as a Liverpool player?
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Well, whilst the forgettable Brazilian may not possess the same level of skill and all-round footballing ability as many of his countryman have characteristically displayed throughout the years, Lucas admittedly doesn’t quite arrive as an entirely useless asset.
The current Liverpool no. 21 certainly isn’t scared of putting his foot in when it’s most required, and his range of passing from the back often proves decent on the odd occasion.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Lucas’ overall persona however, is his distinct loyalty to Liverpool Football Club and his admirable relationship with the club’s fan-base. The Anfield faithful certainly haven’t been the type to issue their backing without warrant after all, so Brendan Rodgers’ somewhat reliable defensive midfield man must ultimately be doing something right with all things considered.
However, maybe Lucas has only remained this loyal to the Reds and their increasingly significant cause to break the top-four once again, because he knows no other ‘top’ Premier League club would ever see fit to pick up his services should the opportunity arise. Lucas seems like a decent asset for Liverpool both on and off the field, but does he really represent the standard of player Rodgers needs to improve the club’s fortunes in 2015/16? Absolutely not.
Time after time, the determined defensive midfielder has let big games pass him by without having much of a meaningful influence on the play. He has seemingly been carried by the likes of Steven Gerrard and co. during his time on Merseyside, for Lucas’ overall ability with the ball at his feet in no way epitomises the level of quality Liverpool should be aiming for.
Such a notion surrounding the so-so South American seemingly ties in with the greater problems afflicting the Reds in the modern era it seems. The likes of Martin Skrtel, Dejan Lovren, Danny Ings, and even potentially Adam Lallana and James Milner, also fail to symbolise the standard of player worthy of representing an elite Premier League club – so why Liverpool think they can cling to such a romanticised image of themselves with such assets on board remains anyone’s guess at the minute.
Perhaps there is somewhat of an identity crisis going on at the club in all honesty. As the Reds have distinctly failed to assert themselves domestically throughout the Premier League era, the pressure of not winning the league title in all that time may now be starting to become too much for the club in general. The manager and fans alike seem unable to marry their collective ideals together, leaving players like Lucas Leiva a somewhat guaranteed spot in the first team plans regardless of the club’s overall motives.
The longer such, quite frankly average, players are allowed to express themselves without producing the results in the Liverpool starting XI, the longer the club as a whole will fail in the long run. The Reds simply need to be honest with themselves now. Any player not worthy of mounting a successful title push this season should simply be dropped in favour of those who are, regardless of their admirable loyalty to the club and passion among the fans.
As Brendan Rodgers has seemingly already blown a great deal of money on Merseyside without improving his overall squad depth a great deal however, perhaps the chance to properly return to the big time has potentially come and gone for the Reds now, at least for the immediate future it seems…
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