Lucas: I nearly left Liverpool under Hodgson

[6TimesaRed]

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva admitted he considered leaving the club under Roy Hodgson after being frozen out of the first team

The 26-year-old joined the Reds in 2007 but struggled for opportunities on arrival, and revealed that when Rafa Benitez left the club for Hodgson he thought he should seek his chance elsewhere before he began to win a place in the starting XI under Kenny Dalglish.

"I felt as though it was almost the end for me at the club," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"I nearly left. I knew they were looking for players. They signed Christian Poulsen at the time, and that was a message for me, that I was not really in their plans. So I was really close to leaving to go to Italy. For some reason I did not go, I stayed.

"After a few games, I got my place back in the team and I started to play a bit more. Then Kenny came in. I really started to play with a lot of confidence and at the end of the year I was voted Player of the Season by the fans. So that moment was very important."

He believes that at the age of 20 he was not ready for the strong completion in central midfield at Anfield but is glad he opted to stay and win his place following the departures of Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano, and Mohamed Sissoko.

He explained: "For me to come here and to try to get into the team competing against Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano and Sissoko was very hard.

"I left Brazil in a really good situation and here I was sometimes not even on the bench and out of the squad. It was a difficult period for me but I think it was worth it. Today I realise how important it was for me to have that struggle because it taught me to work hard.

"I was very young coming over from Brazil to Liverpool, a massive club. I knew about the pressure but it was more than I thought and today I can see I was not ready. It was just a process. It was hard but I had to get on with it and be patient.

"The thing that I didn't understand much, on the pitch, was people talking to me, so maybe that was not a bad thing and I could cope a bit more.

"A lot of people come now and say 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry I used to doubt you and used to boo you. I'm sorry, I was wrong'.

"Maybe if I didn’t care about my career it would have been different. It could have been easy for me to say: 'I want to go back to Brazil and play my football there'. I had a lot of chances to leave the club through mutual consent.

"But I always felt that there was something saying to me that I still needed to prove something here."

 

[6TimesaRed]

There is no denying, as bad as it was for the club, Alonso & Mascherano leaving became the making of Lucas..

 

[gkmacca]

Was Lucas really 'frozen out' by Hodge? I genuinely can't remember what happened during that sorry era, but that doesn't ring true.

 

[gkmacca]

Thought so - it was hardly 'freezing him out':

"Lucas is a young player and I have to keep being reminded he is not that old and does not have that much experience," said the Reds boss.
"People clearly marked my card as regards to many players and when I came I knew there was a prejudice against him.
"I have got to say I don't see what people really found to criticise in him.
"I can only judge as I find and I find him very hard working, a very diligent player who works hard on his understanding of the game and team performances.

 

[hmmmmm1]

There is no denying, as bad as it was for the club, Alonso & Mascherano leaving became the making of Lucas..

Not really, even now he isn't even close to being half the player those 2 were for us.

Not knocking him, he is a good squad option to have.

 

[Best Believe It]

He was on Purslow's list of players to sell.

 

[rurikbird]

We are lucky that he had stayed. He is approaching the peak years of his career and once he fully recovers from the torn ACL, he will prove his level as one of the best DMs in the league. Had we sold him in favor of Poulsen… that would have been a folly of the highest order.

 

[Delinquent]

There is no denying, as bad as it was for the club, Alonso & Mascherano leaving became the making of Lucas..

...and the end of Liverpool as a Champions League club.

 

[gkmacca]

I'm never inclined to defend Hodge, but to be fair to him I think he brought in Poulsen (for better or worse) to add numbers to the midfield, not replace Lucas. As has been suggested, Lucas was probably one of several who could have been sold to free up some funds, but, as far as I can tell, at no point did Hodgson himself 'freeze' Lucas out.



Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has told midfielder Lucas Leiva that he does have a future as a player at Anfield, according to a report from The Daily Mail.

The Brazilian has already reportedly been the subject of a £3 million bid from Serie A side Palermo, who have indicated a willingness to go higher with the fee if necessary.

But Hodgson apparently believes that the midfielder's improved form last season has earned him the right to be in the squad for the campaign ahead.

 

[6TimesaRed]

...and the end of Liverpool as a Champions League club.

Very much true.. but thats another topic for discussion..

 

[#roadred]

"They signed Christian Poulsen at the time, and that was a message for me, that I was not really in their plans"
Fucking Hell! How low must his self esteem have been if he felt threatened by the arrival of Poulsen.
It almost makes me contemplate thinking about perhaps considering the possibility of feeling sorry for a football player

 

[Richey]

'For some reason I did not go, I stayed'. This reason is not THAT mysterious is it? When exactly would he have gone? He started the season in the team and Hodgson was pretty much gone by the time the January window opened.

 

[Roopy]

I recall he was linked quite heavily with Villareal.

 

[Dreambeliever]

I wouldn't have minded if he left.

He's still not good enough long term as a DM for us.

 

[Leo]

 

[Judge Jules]

Not really, even now he isn't even close to being half the player those 2 were for us.

Not knocking him, he is a good squad option to have.

This. I admire the lad's attitude and the real improvement he's shown more recently, but he still isn't in Masher's or Alonso's class. If the rumours about Alonso's return do turn out to be justified (which I sincerely hope does happen) it'll be interesting to see what part, if any, Lucas still has to play in the squad.

 

[gkmacca]

I think we're all still a bit deflated since Lucas failed to come back from injury in peak form. Half the converts to him from last season have been left wondering if they've been duped. Wait until next season. He WAS an integral part of the team when he was at his best.

 

[Vlads Quiff]

If he had have been pushing him out I could have understood it, but he wasn't.
He was during Hodgson's reign, as he has been for most of his career with us, apart from a golden few weeks before his injury, a singularly average player.
I would keep him for the squad, he is a nice lad, and seems to be liked by the rest of the squad, and fans, and I admire his character, I still don't get how highly he is rated by some though, but each to their own.
.

 

[Rosco]

I can never figure out the people that think he's really good but at the same time want to see us sign a top class DM.

He's a patently average player and the only team he's integral to is a really shit one. Which we have been for a while although its changing.

(I think top class DM is an oxymoron)

 

[RedStar]

Hes somewhat limited on the ball but if we are going to go the Barca route under Rodgers then I imagine he could play the Buquets pivot role anchoring the midfield but for somebody who is nominally a defensive midfielder he doesnt offer very much protection to the back 4.

I think the problem hes had since his return from injury is that he is too similar to Allen in style and it leaves our midfield looking very one dimensional when they play together. I think our defence has looked worse than it is at times this season due to the imbalance in midfield, for me its one of the key things to be sorted out this summer. If Allen is to remain one of our key players next season then it may be time for Lucas to move on

 

[SummerOnions]

He needs competition as well. Players like Lucas, Downing, Skrtel should never be automatic starters, but they're good enough to be back-up.

 

[rurikbird]

Hes somewhat limited on the ball but if we are going to go the Barca route under Rodgers then I imagine he could play the Buquets pivot role anchoring the midfield but for somebody who is nominally a defensive midfielder he doesnt offer very much protection to the back 4.

I think the problem hes had since his return from injury is that he is too similar to Allen in style and it leaves our midfield looking very one dimensional when they play together. I think our defence has looked worse than it is at times this season due to the imbalance in midfield, for me its one of the key things to be sorted out this summer. If Allen is to remain one of our key players next season then it may be time for Lucas to move on

When Allen was in good form, Lucas was injured. When Lucas returned, Allen was already deeply in a rut, with injured shoulder and soon lost his place in the starting 11. It's impossible for us to make a judgement that those 2 are not compatible before they are actually given a chance to play together properly.

Personally I don't see any reason why Lucas and Allen can't play in a midfield 3 together. Before his shoulder injury Allen didn't look too vulnerable in physical battles, that's why he was even able to do Lucas's job for a while. When they are both fit, they will not be bullied around when not in possession, but most importantly, they will be very good at keeping possession and making opponents chase empty spaces. Does anybody here really believe Xavi and Iniesta would have trouble with Stoke?

 

[mark1975]

When Allen was in good form, Lucas was injured. When Lucas returned, Allen was already deeply in a rut, with injured shoulder and soon lost his place in the starting 11. It's impossible for us to make a judgement that those 2 are not compatible before they are actually given a chance to play together properly.

Personally I don't see any reason why Lucas and Allen can't play in a midfield 3 together. Before his shoulder injury Allen didn't look too vulnerable in physical battles, that's why he was even able to do Lucas's job for a while. When they are both fit, they will not be bullied around when not in possession, but most importantly, they will be very good at keeping possession and making opponents chase empty spaces. Does anybody here really believe Xavi and Iniesta would have trouble with Stoke?

Allen and Lucas aren't Xavi and Iniesta though, they're two fairly pedestrian players who aren't blessed with great strength or particularly a high standard of skill.

I hate this point that we can simply outplay opponents everytime. While possession football is something we are clearly trying to do more and more, this is the Premiership and you need that ability to roll your sleeves up and grind out a win. Anyone who turns up for a fight against us is more or less guaranteed at least a share of the points as we've seen time and time again this season, however easy on the eye we are when we're afforded time and space to hurt teams. Everytime a Stoke or a Southampton turn up we look like a group of kids who barely know eachother.

 

[rurikbird]

Allen and Lucas aren't Xavi and Iniesta though, they're two fairly pedestrian players who aren't blessed with great strength or particularly a high standard of skill.

No more pedestrian and Xavi and Busquets IMO. Lucas will be able to cover more ground and be stronger in tackles when his knee is fully healed.

I hate this point that we can simply outplay opponents everytime. While possession football is something we are clearly trying to do more and more, this is the Premiership and you need that ability to roll your sleeves up and grind out a win. Anyone who turns up for a fight against us is more or less guaranteed at least a share of the points as we've seen time and time again this season, however easy on the eye we are when we're afforded time and space to hurt teams. Everytime a Stoke or a Southampton turn up we look like a group of kids who barely know eachother.

Sure, you are right when it comes to this season. But fundamentally, when your plan A isn't working as consistently as you like, what will you choose to do? One choice would be to develop a plan B and switch back and forth. Less common, but arguably a more effective choice is to forget plan B and keep improving the plan A, until most other teams cannot keep up. That only works in the plan A is right, which in our case, I think it is.

 

[mark1975]

I think we're going in the right direction Rurik, but I do think when you look at successful teams, there's a fair mix of skill and athleticism at the top level. What we need is a couple of players who can play but are also physically quite commanding. Barca are great, but let's not forget the few times they've come unstuck, it's usually against a side that's set out to ruffle them. I agree that our current plan A is the right move and with improvement will see us overcome sides more often than not - that's pleasing in itself after largely regimented sides under Rafa and Ged, who were more concentrated on stopping the opposition, rather than playing their own game.

Arsenal are the case in point though, they've suffered for years from being heavily reliant on plan A, maybe that's the difference between La Liga and the Premiership, here you do need that ability to fight for it, the flip side being that becoming overly reliant on plan B is usually what sees English teams come unstuck in Europe (the National team are another example), so there's a fair enough argument for some level of balance between the two.

Like I said though, I do like the direction we're headed in, I just hope Rodgers has enough defensive nous about him to steady the ship and not go completely gung-ho.

 

[rurikbird]

I think we're going in the right direction Rurik, but I do think when you look at successful teams, there's a fair mix of skill and athleticism at the top level. What we need is a couple of players who can play but are also physically quite commanding. Barca are great, but let's not forget the few times they've come unstuck, it's usually against a side that's set out to ruffle them. I agree that our current plan A is the right move and with improvement will see us overcome sides more often than not - that's pleasing in itself after largely regimented sides under Rafa and Ged, who were more concentrated on stopping the opposition, rather than playing their own game.

Arsenal are the case in point though, they've suffered for years from being heavily reliant on plan A, maybe that's the difference between La Liga and the Premiership, here you do need that ability to fight for it, the flip side being that becoming overly reliant on plan B is usually what sees English teams come unstuck in Europe (the National team are another example), so there's a fair enough argument for some level of balance between the two.

Like I said though, I do like the direction we're headed in, I just hope Rodgers has enough defensive nous about him to steady the ship and not go completely gung-ho.

I agree with pretty much everything you wrote here. Rodgers definitely has to fix the defense before next season, that has to be the priority. I just happen to think that the area that needs strengthening by far the most is the defensive line itself - not only CBs but FBs as well. I also lost a lot of trust in Reina despite his recent improvement and if Rodgers is really looking for a "vocal" leader of the defense, then he absolutely should break the bank for Ter Stegen.

I believe that Lucas is not part of the problem. The only way to find out is to wait and see, but I am sure that barring another serious injury, Lucas will be one of our best players once again next season. You can quote me on that if my prediction turns out wrong.

 

[Modo]

The presence of fit-again Lucas Leiva has been a key factor. Liverpool's scoring rate has doubled since he returned from injury to the side in December, his presence helping to free the likes of Steven Gerrard - who has scored seven goals in those 14 games.
But the Brazilian still sees hard work ahead. "It has been a hard season," Lucas told BBC Sport.
"We have been knocked out of the two cups and the Europa League and our league position is not the best.
"But we are starting to find consistency and hope in the final games that we can find it and take it into next season."
Source BBC.

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This is Lucas first season back from a serious knee injury. Now imagine how good he can be when he has returned to full fitness.

 

[mark1975]

I do think it's easy to target the DM when the defense isn't functioning. I think part of the problem has been the transition between being a side that had a defense that was well protected, and now trying to be more expansive, clearly a few players are struggling to play at the same level. Fergie said a few years ago that the key to unlocking what was a mean Liverpool defense was getting in and around them, if you play infront of the back line, you're on a hiding to nothing because the DM's will protect, the defense will move close together as a unit and the wide men will act as fullbacks, it was tight and mean but it was also overly negative in that, when we tried to break, we struggled to commit enough players to the attack. Now we're seeing the opposite of sorts, so we need different personnel to cope with the change. I agree re the fullbacks too, not good enough in my opinion, despite how good they are offensively.

 

[Judge Jules]

The presence of fit-again Lucas Leiva has been a key factor. Liverpool's scoring rate has doubled since he returned from injury to the side in December, his presence helping to free the likes of Steven Gerrard - who has scored seven goals in those 14 games.
But the Brazilian still sees hard work ahead. "It has been a hard season," Lucas told BBC Sport.
"We have been knocked out of the two cups and the Europa League and our league position is not the best.
"But we are starting to find consistency and hope in the final games that we can find it and take it into next season."
Source BBC.

------------

This is Lucas first season back from a serious knee injury. Now imagine how good he can be when he has returned to full fitness.

I'm afraid I don't share your assumption that there's a lot more in him waiting to get out, but I'd be very happy to be proved wrong.

 

[Rosco]

Lucas doubles our goal scoring ..... wow!

Modo you're probably one of the few to be stupid enough to believe its Lucas and not the addition of two good attacking players in Sturridge and Coutinho that's increased our scoring rate. (As well as the soft opposition we faced during the time)