Since joining Liverpool eight years ago from Gremio as a 20-year-old, Lucas Leiva has been the subject of constant criticism with many wanting him to be sold.
Under Benitez, many fans booed the Brazilian. Under the regime of Hodgson, Christian Poulsen was preferred. But, despite this, Lucas has shown his resilience, passion and determination in order to remain a Liverpool player and this has resulted in some big performances from him.
This is backed up with statistics (via EA Sports Player Performance Index): Lucas has won the most tackles on average in the Premier League this season with 6.4 tackles over 90 minutes. Furthermore, only Southampton defender Cedric Soares has a higher percentage of tackles won in the league, with an extraordinary 97.3%. Lucas is in second-place with a very impressive 83.08%.
Even though I am a big fan of Lucas and can see how important he has been for us, his giving away of free kicks in dangerous positions is still infuriating. How many times have we seen him give away a cheap free-kick because of a clumsy tackle or because he’s too slow to get back and tackle his man?
However, we have always seen Lucas’ passion for Liverpool FC when we score important goals. He is a player that you see jumping around with a massive smile on his face, or on occasion, running to the supporters to celebrate with them. Even though he has not won over all fans, he has become a fan favourite to many.
Lucas even has his own song which is sung around Anfield; years previously it was the echoes of boos. It epitomises just how far he has come.
His growing importance in the Liverpool team was shown in 2011 with him winning the Liverpool Player of the Year Award. However, his form could not continue as injuries affected his progression. In the 2011-12 season, Lucas missed 35 games with a cruciate ligament rupture. The following season he missed another 22 games with a hamstring injury.
Until recently, many thought we would not see Lucas regain that form which saw him being a key player in our squad. But in recent times Lucas has looked the player he was in 2011 before his injuries. We also can’t forget that Lucas is one of the most experienced players in a relatively young team.
Lucas is the longest-serving player at the club and even though some doubt his ability, you cannot question his professionalism, dedication and loyalty to Liverpool FC.
833 – Since he joined Liverpool in July 2007, Lucas Leiva has made more tackles than any other player in the Premier League (833). Steel.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 29, 2015
It was unknown whether Lucas would fit into Jurgen Klopp’s high pressing but with his recent displays, it seems that those doubters have been proved wrong. Not only has Lucas been solid defensively, he has ventured forward every now and then which is definitely something we are not used to.
Lucas is now beginning to show signs of the box-to-box midfielder we thought we were getting eight years ago. So not only is he a tackling machine in the defensive half of the pitch, he is creating more chances for himself and others at the other end.
The Reds should count themselves lucky that the potential deal for Lucas to join Besiktas in the summer never materialised, because if Klopp’s first six games are anything to go by, the 28-year-old could be one of his key lieutenants in years to come.
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