The "Give Lucas a Little Love" Thread

[KopKing]

[quote author=keniget link=topic=38565.msg1040479#msg1040479 date=1264108079]
There are three things that cause me the most frustration when it comes to Lucas. If he could improve in these areas, he'd go a long way to winning over the fans in my opinion.

1. He still gets easily shrugged off the ball. I know he's bulked up and is stronger but this still happens too often.

2. A lot of what he does is too hesitant, too slow. He needs to speed things up in the middle of the park, look for one twos, carry the ball forward and just generally be more positive in possession.

3. Attack with greater authority. I've noticed numerous times, for example, where he's been supporting attackers on the wing and he'll just stop and look for a way to get rid of the ball so that he doesn't have to take on the attacking onus himself. Again, he really has to be more positive in those kind of situations and just go for it.
[/quote]

I agree with all of that. Maybe the extra competition will inspire him. If not, he's out of the team, I guess.

 

[Hansern]

Agreed Ken, there were a few times last night I was screaming at him.

He had the ball on the wing, but instead of crossing it in to the box, he tried some fluff pass towards Degen.
He needs to be more direct and to actually believe in what he's trying.

 

[Fabio]

No one can really blame him for his lack of confidence. 3 years and only negative really spoken about you?

I still blame phil neville

 

[Stulikesdrums]

I often wonder if his career path would have been different had he banged that one in. Shame Neville handled it. We will never know.

 

[Ryan]

Sunny - This thread wasn't a great idea.

As for Lucas, well everyone knows I rate him. The thought of debating this with people who actually want him to fail doesn't inspire me though.

 

[Skullflower]

ryan.. would you be happy with cunt being a mainstay in our midfield for the next 5 years or do you think we can do better?

 

[Ryan]

We can obviously do better Skully.

And please don't call him or any of our players "a cunt". It's shit.

 

[Skullflower]

i didn't call him 'a cunt'.

he's just 'cunt'.

 

[Skullflower]

i think he's a very good last choice centre mid. we should have 3 players ahead of him IMO.

 

[KopKing]

[quote author=Skullflower link=topic=38565.msg1040542#msg1040542 date=1264114243]
i think he's a very good last choice centre mid. we should have 3 players ahead of him IMO.
[/quote]

We do. They just can't all be fit at the same time.

 

[gene hughes]

I think we should always have 3 fit and 'not suspended' and 'not on international duty' and 'not cup-tied' players ahead of him.

 

[Skullflower]

[quote author=KopKing link=topic=38565.msg1040550#msg1040550 date=1264114551]
[quote author=Skullflower link=topic=38565.msg1040542#msg1040542 date=1264114243]
i think he's a very good last choice centre mid. we should have 3 players ahead of him IMO.
[/quote]

We do. They just can't all be fit at the same time.
[/quote]

depends on your perspective.

 

[Wizardry]

I've actually quite liked Lucas and probably been one of his main supporters on here with Ryan: partly because I've always detested the mob mentality which always seeks an object of blame - deserving or not; Partly because he looked an utterly different player in Brazil to the one here which I can't accept is due entirely to a new country, league and culture; partly because, despite the differences in performance, he has never gone hiding, has always had great touch, good passing and good technique.


I'm a little loathe to say anything supportive lest it be taken as agreement with posts on RAWK which are as far over the top as most of Brendan's comments on the same subject.

I'm no great fan of Rafa but I have to say I understand his jibe at the fans regarding Lucas; anyone who thinks he can't pass, can't play football and doesn't add anything to the team while at the same time offering any defence to Dirk Kuyt is borderline bigoted.

As Ryan as said, nobody works harder than Dirk but Lucas works as hard as anyone else in the team. However, where Dirk has a first touch that could get him charged with assault, Lucas has an excellent touch. Where Dirk's passing is chaotic and kindly described as unpredicable, Lucas hits his targets with monotonous regularity - long or short. Where Dirk is as likely to find a support or the net with his knee or his chin, Lucas inevitably strikes the ball with correct technique.


I'm not for a moment saying Lucas has added more than Dirk to the team and he truly was poor against Spurs. Not as bad as many have suggested and not for any real lack of quality in what he did; rather the game just by-passed him - he was literally a passenger for much of the time.

I also agree with Brendan's main gripe on him that he doesn't have anything like the dynamism required to make a real impact in this league from midfield. Either the teams he was playing in Brazil were doped to the eyeballs while he was on Speed or something inexplicable has happened since he arrived at Anfield. He was never Henry like in Brazil but he was far more dynamic and athletic in Brazil than he's shown here.

All that said, he's a reasonably young player with an excellent first touch, very good passing (particularly first time), a lovely technique, a first class attitude and work ethic. Liverpool could have and have had much worse playing for them over the years; as it stands I think he'd be a good member of the squad and, hopefully, a valued member of the squad next year.

 

[Ryan]

There's an awful lot of sense in that post Wiz.

 

[Richey]

Good post Wiz. Part of that is what I was trying to say earlier. I still don't think he's necessarily a bad player but I don't think he is good enough at the moment.
So what can be going wrong for him?
Its almost more frustrating if he has the potential to be good but we're failing to get the best out of him.

 

[The Slugmonster]

[quote author=Squiggles link=topic=38565.msg1040357#msg1040357 date=1264101439]


This kid is just living a dream at the moment, although he probably doesn't realise it yet.


[/quote]


Santiago Munez was living a dream and.............
Oh wait that was a film 😱

 

[Wizardry]

[quote author=Richey link=topic=38565.msg1040630#msg1040630 date=1264118865]
Good post Wiz. Part of that is what I was trying to say earlier. I still don't think he's necessarily a bad player but I don't think he is good enough at the moment.
So what can be going wrong for him?
Its almost more frustrating if he has the potential to be good but we're failing to get the best out of him.
[/quote]

I have to admit I originally thought it was Rafa trying to coach him into a DM which was killing him, Richey. But he's had opportunities to be more than that on a number of occasions. On only one occasion have I seen him surge forward the way he did in Brazil leading to a chance for Dirk.

Otherwise it's almost like he's trying to play within himself from that perspective. Whether, as Sunny suggests, it might be confidence; maybe he's concerned that if he starts taking some risks which don't pay off he'll lose the support of a generally conservative manager; maybe the training here has changed him as a player.`

I don't know mate; I lean towards the confidence thing which surely can't be high at the moment. I'd like to see the player I saw in Brazil just to find out if that player could make a difference for this club.

 

[Ryan]

He'll score goals before this season's out. That's my prediction.

 

[Whaddapie]

[quote author=Wizardry link=topic=38565.msg1040602#msg1040602 date=1264116770]
I've actually quite liked Lucas and probably been one of his main supporters on here with Ryan: partly because I've always detested the mob mentality which always seeks an object of blame - deserving or not; Partly because he looked an utterly different player in Brazil to the one here which I can't accept is due entirely to a new country, league and culture; partly because, despite the differences in performance, he has never gone hiding, has always had great touch, good passing and good technique.


I'm a little loathe to say anything supportive lest it be taken as agreement with posts on RAWK which are as far over the top as most of Brendan's comments on the same subject.

I'm no great fan of Rafa but I have to say I understand his jibe at the fans regarding Lucas; anyone who thinks he can't pass, can't play football and doesn't add anything to the team while at the same time offering any defence to Dirk Kuyt is borderline bigoted.

As Ryan as said, nobody works harder than Dirk but Lucas works as hard as anyone else in the team. However, where Dirk has a first touch that could get him charged with assault, Lucas has an excellent touch. Where Dirk's passing is chaotic and kindly described as unpredicable, Lucas hits his targets with monotonous regularity - long or short. Where Dirk is as likely to find a support or the net with his knee or his chin, Lucas inevitably strikes the ball with correct technique.


I'm not for a moment saying Lucas has added more than Dirk to the team and he truly was poor against Spurs. Not as bad as many have suggested and not for any real lack of quality in what he did; rather the game just by-passed him - he was literally a passenger for much of the time.

I also agree with Brendan's main gripe on him that he doesn't have anything like the dynamism required to make a real impact in this league from midfield. Either the teams he was playing in Brazil were doped to the eyeballs while he was on Speed or something inexplicable has happened since he arrived at Anfield. He was never Henry like in Brazil but he was far more dynamic and athletic in Brazil than he's shown here.

All that said, he's a reasonably young player with an excellent first touch, very good passing (particularly first time), a lovely technique, a first class attitude and work ethic. Liverpool could have and have had much worse playing for them over the years; as it stands I think he'd be a good member of the squad and, hopefully, a valued member of the squad next year.
[/quote]

Excellent post, Wiz.

 

[jexykrodic]

[quote author=Bristow link=topic=38565.msg1040080#msg1040080 date=1264084598]
Does he have a song?

Maybe a tune featuring his name sung every so often could be a nice little boost for him!

on a similar note. Does Kuyt have a song?
[/quote]

#Lucas
You move like mucus
You give us Lupus
If you met Confucius
He'd say 'fuck off doofus'#

Sorry. I really am sorry.