Many players have received plaudits for Liverpool’s excellent start to the season. Daniel Sturridge has been free-scoring, the recently-injured Philippe Coutinho has become a fan’s favourite, Simon Mignolet has bedded in well between the sticks and Steven Gerrard is better than he was at this point last season.
But another player deserves some plaudits, although his contribution has perhaps gone unnoticed.
Lucas Leiva is one of those type of players that fans do not warm to very quickly because of his unassuming style of play. But he is arguably Liverpool’s key player, providing balance in midfield.
In December, I suggested that his return from a serious knee injury could be key to Liverpool’s revival in the second half of last season, although supporters were vey lukewarm about it to say the least, judging from the responses.
But his influence in the holding role is apparent now he is back to full fitness. His importance under Brendan Rodgers has been highlighted by the fact that he has played every minute of the 2013/14 season so far.
The Brazilian has made the most tackles per game in the Premier League this season, and also has an impressive interceptionrate, providing a useful screen in front of the back four.
His distribution has been consistent with a completion rate of almost 90 per cent which is the highest at Liverpool behind centre-back Martin Skrtel.
And in terms of the total number of passes per game, Lucas and midfield partner Gerrard get on the ball the most for the Reds per game.
Of course, Lucas’ passing is far less ambitious – creating just three chances from midfield and having a shorter average pass length than Gerrard - but he need not be ambitious due to the role he has been assigned.
And his movement bears witness to it. If you look at the heat maps of his forays against Swansea, he nearly always occupies a very deep role halfway between the centre circle and his own box, providing a reference point for his team-mates.
Indeed he spent msot of the match hovering between his own box and the centre circle. Not once did even get anywhere near the opposition penalty area,
That allowed Steven Gerrard more time to roam from that deep role alongside Lucas.
Similarly in the 1 – 0 win against Manchester United, Lucas spent a similar amount of time in the same positions, with Gerrard benefiting from that with more eclectic movement.
That balance along with the introduction of Kolo Toure among others at the back has led to a good start defensively, conceding just two goals in four games.
