Graft, Craft and How to Fill "The Lucas Role"
Getting the right mix of grafters and crafters is vital to a team's success. A grafter is the type of player who makes up for any failings in natural technical ability through sheer blood, guts and endeavour. Think Dirk Kuyt. On the opposite end of the scale you have crafters, players who have a very high level of technical ability but are are more tactile in their play. Jordan Henderson fits into this box.
Liverpool's squad has many players who immediately …
Lucas Deserves More From All Of Us
A Sky Sports Man of the Match award at last. Forget the 2010 Liverpool FC Young Player of the Year Award and the Golden Samba awarded from the Kop last season; that man of the match award from Gary Neville and co after the Manchester City match must mean that Lucas Leiva is finally a player befitting the Liverpool shirt.
That’s what it seems from the media coverage, anyway.
After suffering an injury against Chelsea last Tuesday, just 50 hours …
To Me, To You | A look at Liverpool centre-back pairings
Hansen and Lawrenson, Hansen and Thompson, Henchoz and Hyypia, Carragher and Hyypia.
These are some of the Liverpool centre-back pairings that have been forged over the years, now with the establishment of Skrtel and Agger, have we found a centre-back pairing that can last?
Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger have had little chance to play alongside each other in the centre of defence due to injuries to themselves, injuries to others, which has meant them being played out of position …
The Challenge Facing Jay Spearing
Following the sad news that Lucas Leiva will miss the remainder of the season after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in Liverpool's recent Carling Cup quarter-final victory at Chelsea, Kenny Dalglish faces a dilemma: just who can fill the current player-of-the-year's boots?
Perhaps a replacement will be drafted in during the forthcoming transfer window, but before that can happen the Reds have six league games to negotiate in December, and that's before you consider a triple-header with Manchester City …
Fulham V Liverpool | Tactical & Stats Preview
And what a week that was. From Chelsea to City and back again. Two fantastic performances put in by the players. Then right back down to earth with the hide-under-the-duvet moment when we found out the unfortunate news of Lucas's bad injury. After putting in a couple of bone crunching displays against City and Chelsea, Lucas was just starting to get the far reaching acclaim most of us thought he should have been getting a year ago. Sod's law they …
Quantifying Lucas' Absence
The widespread disappointment that met the news of Lucas’ injury is a reflection on the Brazilian’s progress; his tale of zero to hero is now well-repeated in mainstream discussion.
Statistics have justified his continued role in the team. He’s been the league’s most prolific tackler both this and last season, and also produced a fine ball-winning display in his most recent league match.
His sudden absence has sparked speculation as to how Liverpool will cope. It’s entirely fair to suggest areas …
Liverpool Vs City | The Story via Player Influence Pitch Maps
Another draw at Anfield, this time against a side Liverpool weren't the favourites to beat. Premier League leaders Manchester City visited Anfield confident of taking away all three points after demolishing teams like Spurs and, arch rivals, United in their own grounds 1-5 & 1-6 respectively. Liverpool though had other ideas and will feel the more disappointed of the sides with the draw whilst Manchester City would leave Anfield claiming a point well earned.
Let's have a look at the …
Liverpool V Man City | A Tactical & Stats Preview
This week the billions of Manchester City come to town, and what a game it promises to be. I'm not sure what it is about City, but they don't seem to attract the same envious jealousy that Chelsea attracted when oligarch Roman Abramovich arrived on the scene and bankrolled the Stamford Bridge outfit with his odiously acquired petro-roubles. Maybe it's the fact that we get a perverse satisfaction from seeing that lot down the East Lancashire Road get their knickers …
Goals From Midfield Crucial To Success | Liverpool FC Opta Stats
For years under Rafa Benitez and Roy Hodgson Liverpool were accused of being a one-man, and later two-man, team as the goals of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres helped the Reds to continue to compete at the top table with only Dirk Kuyt and briefly Yossi Benayoun helping to break their monopoly on the team’s goals.
The arrival of Kenny Dalglish as manager, the purchases of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, the sale of Fernando Torres and a long-term injury …
Lucas Leiva | The Brazilian Against The World (Stats analysis)
Lucas Leiva, the player Liverpool fans love, and others love to hate. Recently though, the unBrazilian Brazilian has become a bit of a legend to Liverpool fans, and has become a pivotal part of Liverpool’s midfield …