Considered a liability by many for much of his early career with Liverpool, it is indicative of the progress made by Lucas Leiva that the recent confirmation of a knee ligament injury set to keep the Brazilian out for the rest of the season has hit the club and it's fans so hard.
Tipped as the next Dunga from a young age, plying his trade in Brazil's Serie A, the 24-year-old is now fulfilling the potential he showed as a teenager, becoming a regular for the national side and a rare breed of defensive midfielders to come out of the great footballing nation.
With his own team's fans on his back a few seasons ago, and neutrals insisting that he was a terrible signing, Lucas has overhauled almost all of his critics. Some have even suggested that he is the greatest signing Rafa Benitez ever made - high praise indeed when considering the likes of Torres, Alonso and Reina all came in under their countryman's stewardship.
Known for his workmanlike displays and tough tackling, Lucas' stats back up the fact that he is undoubtedly one of the finest anchor men in the country, and perhaps even Europe. His figure of 5.7 tackles per game is undoubtedly the stand out, ranking him as the best in the Premier League and second best across Europe's top five leagues in WhoScored's Player Statistics, but it is not just his strength in the tackle that has come on in recent seasons.
Progress Report
Lucas first established himself as a regular at Anfield in the 2009/10 season, playing in a traditional central midfield role, with Mascherano the ball-winner. He played 35 times in the league but was criticised for offering very little attacking threat or creativity. Indeed, he attempted just 1 shot per game, mounting up to 35 over the season without scoring, while 1 key pass per game led to just 2 assists.
His defensive stats shone through however, winning 4.2 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per game, but with Mascherano already in place, many questioned his value to the side. Despite this, he was an integral figure in the side at the age of just 22, making 52.3 passes per game with an impressive 83.6% accuracy.
The following season (2010/11), Mascherano set sail for the sunnier shores of Spain and Barcelona, but in Lucas, then manager Roy Hodgson had a ready-made replacement. The Brazil international dropped into a deeper role in front of the back four, leading to a decline in an already meagre attacking input (just 0.7 shots and key passes per game respectively). However, defensively he stepped up to make a full tackle more per game on the previous season (5.2), though a few of his stats did drop slightly.
Despite upping his involvement to make 54.4 passes per game, Lucas' accuracy dipped to 82.8%, while he also made less interceptions than the previous campaign (2 per game). Committing more fouls per game on average (2) also, he picked up his first red card, in the 90th minute against Stoke, since an infamous dismissal against fierce rivals Everton in the FA Cup back in February 2009, which had led many demanding his sale, or at least omission from the squad.
This season was shaping up to be his best yet, however, with many touting him to be the next Brazil captain due to his determination and will to win every tackle. In 12 league starts, his already excellent tackles per game figure rose once again, up to 5.7 and the top of the Premier League player statistics. An improved reading of the game also saw his interceptions rise significantly to 2.8 per game and his career-high passes per game figure of 57.3 was the most for Liverpool and highlighted his importance to Kenny Dalglish's side.
Despite making more passes, his accuracy was also the best it had been with an average of 85.6% proving his effectiveness in first winning, and then maintaining possession. Another interesting stat sees his fouls per game ratio lower than ever at 1.7, and all in spite of making an exceptional number of tackles per game, so just how will Liverpool cope without him?
Ready-made Replacements?
With January round the corner, Kenny Dalglish will be looking for a quick fix from his current squad, so we look at the best possible alternative to step into the large void left by Lucas' lay-off.
Charlie Adam is perhaps the most obvious stand in, though sacrificing the Scot further forward may lead his manager and compatriot to look elsewhere. The 25-year-old signing from Blackpool tends to drop in and create from deep anyway but it is that creativity that Dalglish will not want to impinge upon.
Adam makes the second most passes per game (48.5) of the side, only down on Lucas' figure with an 80% accuracy. An average of 2.2 tackles per game is promising, and third behind the Brazilian and Martin Kelly, while 1.7 interceptions per game indicates towards a good understanding of breaking up opponent's play.
One new signing who has failed to bed into the side as seamlessly as Adam is Jordan Henderson. A big money transfer from Sunderland heaped pressure on the 21-year-old and it is fair to say that he has not yet delivered. Admittedly playing from an unfamiliar wide role for much of the campaign, Henderson has only weighed in with 30.2 passes per game, 0.7 tackles and 0.8 interceptions, making him perhaps the least likely candidate to fill in.
One man who will hope to have the chance to prove his worth is Jay Spearing, who at 23, can no longer be considered the aspiring youth product but is perhaps the most obvious young pretender to Lucas. Looking at his stats from last year, Spearing showed a willingness to get stuck in, making 2.5 tackles per game in 10 league starts with a decent 79.8% pass accuracy to boot. The defence-minded midfielder could be the immediate answer but is someway down on Lucas' high standard, which may force the clubs hand come the winter transfer window.
