Lucas Leiva's Interview on Redmen TV

Lucas Leiva talks to Liverpool journalists about his return from injury, his ups and downs at Liverpool FC, his good friend Luis Suarez, tactics and scouting, and where he sees his own and the club's future.

Alexander Doni - How he's Been Missed

Doni plays out from the back.

Whatever the circumstances surrounding Alexander Doni's return to Brazil on leave for the last few months, it seems to be another unfortunate case of a Brazilian playing for Liverpool who hasn't had the luck or the opportunity to become a regular member of the team.

The title of this article might seem strange, considering that it might not be possible to miss a player who only has 4 appearances for the club, but in those four appearances Doni proved that he is a more than capable backup to Pepe Reina, and would probably be pushing for a place in the first team given Reina's recent form.

From what we did see of Doni at Liverpool, he was a goalkeeper who is comfortable on the ball and willing to play out from the back, as well as joining in, if needed, and settle things down in an attacking build up. He would receive the ball from the centre backs, and look to play a return pass rather than simply lumping it up-field.

If he could do this under the slightly more direct approach of Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool, he would have fit perfectly into Brendan Rodgers' system where the 'keeper is the 11th outfield player.

More importantly, he would have provided a challenge to Reina's number one position, which may have gone some way to preventing the sharp drop in form suffered by the Spaniard. Current reserve 'keepers Brad Jones and Peter Gulasci are able and willing, but Doni is a class above these two keepers, and also offers more experience during uncertain times.

Another Brazilian goalkeeper, Diego Cavalieri, made only 10 appearances for Liverpool, but was sold to Cesena in Italy, before returning to Brazil with Fluminense. Let's hope that Doni can come back to the club and play a part for the new look team, and be one of the few Brazilian success stories at Liverpool, or at least surpass the 10 appearances made by Cavalieri!

Fabio Aurelio Leaves Liverpool for Gremio

Fabio Aurelio taking a trademark free kick.

The Brasilivero story goes from Liverpool to Brazil and back, but Fabio Aurelio has just completed the journey in the opposite direction. Fabio arrived in Europe from Sao Paulo, and spent six seasons at Spanish side Valencia where he won two league titles and a UEFA Cup under the management of Rafa Benitez, picking up a Champions League runners up medal along the way.

He took the chance to join up with Rafa Benitez again at Liverpool, and served the club for six seasons but was continually hampered by injury. Despite these fitness problems Aurelio established himself as an attacking left back throughout his career in Europe, and occasionally got the chance to show his set piece expertise which will always be under appreciated due his lack of playing time because of injury. A memorable free kick against Chelsea, shown below, is an example of his quick thinking and great technique in these situations.

At the end of the 2011/2012 season, Fabio decided his time at Liverpool had come to an end and he signed for the Porto Alegre based club Gremio - the team from which Liverpool signed Lucas Leiva.

Aurelio is yet to represent the Brazil senior national side, but was part of the under 23 side who took part in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The team, which also featured young Gremio attacker Ronaldinho, were knocked out at the quarter final stage.

He will be remembered at Liverpool as the first Brazilian player to play for the club, and as a reliable team player with great technique, particularly at a set piece. Unfortunately he'll also be remembered for as the player who didn't get to realise his full potential due to injury. Hopefully a good run in the team at Gremio will see him show his true talent, and maybe even get him a call up to the Brazil side.

Lucas Leiva's Position - Defensive Midfielder? Volante?

Lucas at Gremio

For people with nothing better to do than discuss the miniscule details of football, the natural position of Lucas Leiva has been a much covered, and much disputed topic.  His transition from a more attacking player whilst at Gremio, to a holding role or defensive midfield position at Liverpool, has a lot to do with differences in style of play and the way positions are assigned in Brazil and England.  The need to pin players down to a particular description or positional term has created much confusion about Lucas’s part in a football team, and may have given his managers at Liverpool a headache or two.  Ultimately it is the manager who decides which position a player is stationed in, and how much freedom they have to stray from this starting role.  Here we will try to define the various roles Lucas has played, and what might be his best position.

Lucas started his career at Gremio, a club based in Porto Alegre in southern Brazil, where he began to draw ambitious comparisons with Brazilian great Falcão.  These comparisons were made because of the style of play, the strengths Lucas showed on and off the ball, and the positions he took up on the field.  In Brazil, the position of players like Lucas and Falcão before him, is given the name Volante.

Volante

Volante is a general term for a player taking up a defensive midfield role. The word may have roots in the name of Argentine player Carlos Volante, who was one of the first to play the position during the 1930s. It literally translates into English as Flywheel – a rotating device used as an energy store – or steering wheel.  These translations themselves begin to paint a picture of what the player in this position will provide for a team.  They are very much the fulcrum of attacks and the engine room of defence, and will use their technical ability to engineer attacks whilst also being able to garner the energy to break up opposition moves.  It’s often easy to define the position semantically, but then the hard part is matching the player to the positional description.

Brazilian teams often play with two players in this position, with one taking up a stricter defensive role who will recycle the ball quickly when in attack, and another player who has more license to get forward and less defensive constraints.  This is where the term volante is expanded to include the terms first and second volante, and where we find the term which best describes Lucas during his time at Gremio.  As a second volante he has all the drive and defensive traits of a defensive midfielder, but was also able to use this same determination to compliment his technical ability going forward, as shown in this slightly dodgy video of him scoring for Gremio.  Here the team is on the attack and Lucas sees the opportunity to make a late run into the box to get on the end of a cross, and shows how a well timed run can turn a volante into an attacking midfielder.

There are many other examples of Lucas playing for Gremio where he would be described as a playmaker due to his probing passes, a box to box midfielder with his energy and running, an attacking midfielder getting on the end of attacking moves, and a defensive midfielder left holding the fort.  At Gremio it’s safe to say that he was seen as a great all round midfielder and footballer, and these all round performances saw him win the coveted Bola de Ouro in 2006; an award previously won by Brazilian luminaries such as Zico, Mauro Silva, and Falcão.

Transition in Liverpool

The transition from playing in Brazil to being a regular in the English Premier League is a difficult one, and it was no different for Lucas.  The difference for Lucas was that he always had the mental attributes to succeed in the league, and these attributes tended to dictate the positions he was employed in by Rafa Benitez, who signed him for Liverpool in 2007.  Liverpool had a strong midfield at the time Lucas joined, including the likes of Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano, and Steven Gerrard, with other fringe players such as Mohamed Sissoko and Damien Plessis also vying for a place in the team.  This meant Lucas had to adapt, and maybe take up a more specialised role to find a way into the side.

Lucas was initially seen as the ideal partner for Mascherano if Liverpool wished to play a more defensive formation with two more defensive minded midfielders.  This was seen as a great system for Lucas to play in, as he had alongside him a player who might be familiar in style from his time in Brazil, with direct comparisons to make between the first and second volante combination.  And there won’t have been many better volantes to play alongside and learn from than Javier Mascherano.

Similarly, playing and training alongside Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso would have helped to encourage improvement in the attacking and creative aspects of Lucas’s game.  You could say that Lucas possessed some of the qualities of all three of these world class players, but this could also have been the reason he struggled to settle into a rhythm during some of his early seasons at Liverpool.  In a league where specialisation and clear definition in certain positions seems to be demanded by fans and pundits, and in a team where those ahead of him in the squad were some of the best exponents of these specialised positions, many began to lose patience and faith in the midfielder as he tried to find a role in the side.  Defensive midfielder, playmaker, or attacking midfielder?  Which one would he chose?

Volante II

After the departures of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, Lucas found himself in the Liverpool first team more often than not.  As the seasons progressed the mistakes became fewer and Lucas’s confidence on the ball increased.  In the 2010/11 season Lucas played an important role in the Liverpool side, often partnering Christian Poulsen, Raul Meireles, or Steven Gerrard – with Lucas the mainstay of the side as the others around him struggled for form or fitness.

The position he found himself in was similar to that vacated by Javier Mascharano, so he had effectively stepped back from the second volante he was at Gremio, to a more disciplined generic volante.  He recycled the ball well between defence and attack, doing the simple things well and allowing others to express themselves further up the pitch.  Liverpool’s manager Kenny Dalglish commented that:

“I don’t think Lucas is going to be the one who beats five or six players and puts it into the back of the net. But he may be the one who stops the guy going past the first fella then sets us on our way”

His job in defence was more prominent in that he became an expert in breaking up opposition play and often stifled some of the more revered attacking midfielders in the opposing teams.  This meant he seemed to pick up a yellow card in almost every game, but also meant that he was one of the most successful tacklers in European football.  This is best summed up by Opta in their tweet:

172 - Lucas Leiva made more tackles than any other player in the top five leagues in Europe this season. Cult.

Another successful tackle.

This willingness to defend and play for the team saw Lucas voted as Liverpool’s fans player of the season for the 2010/11 season, and also showed how the mentality of a volante he brought with him from Brazil, has helped him to convince his doubters that he has an important role to play in the team.

More recently Lucas has seen himself the lynchpin of the Liverpool midfield, allowing Charlie Adam or Steven Gerrard the freedom to get forward and spray passes around to the attackers.  It’s no surprise that Adam’s performances have dropped since Lucas has been out of the side with an injury, and Liverpool’s form in the second half of the 2011/12 season has shown how much they miss him.

The Future

Second volante / attacking midfielder / playmaker / defensive midfielder / anchor man / box to box midfielder.  Clearer now?

Lucas celebrates with Luis Suarez.
The two players could be key players in Liverpool's future plans.

Further reading:

Article from Level 3 Football - Tim Vickery and Fernando Duarte discussing Lucas's position in 2008.

Description of a Volante (Portuguese)

How Liverpool Have Missed Lucas

Lucas has been out with a knee injury since early December,
and will miss the rest of the season.

Lucas Leiva's recent knee injury and resultant absence from the first team has shown how much of a key player he has become for this current Liverpool side. Many fans of the club looked on in worry as the player collided unfortunately with Juan Mata, and after attempting to play on was eventually stretchered from the pitch to a round of boos from the Chelsea fans, and apprehensive looking applause from the travelling Liverpool support.

It's a testament to the player's rise through the ranks at Liverpool that his absence has had such an effect on the team. Whilst many Liverpool fans knew the effect his season ending injury would have on the rest of their season, it might have been more pronounced than they thought, as the team appear to have struggled for any consistency in the midfield positions.

Charlie Adam's form has notably dropped since not having Lucas to partner him in transitional phases where the team attempt to build attacks from the back, and maybe more importantly in situations where the midfield are looking to win the ball back. The Scot has often found himself struggling in some middle ground between a deep lying midfield play maker, and a more attacking midfield role, which ends up with him playing as a half hearted box to box midfielder without the physical attributes to do so. The result of this seems to be the concession of unnecessary free kicks when defending, and less effective probing passes going forward. Here you begin to see where the physical attributes and tackling ability of Lucas have been helping other players do what they do best.

Jay Spearing is the natural replacement in Lucas's position, but his time in the team has been disrupted by the odd knock and an unfortunate suspension. If Lucas can pass on some of the experiences he went through during his struggle to gain a first team role, then the club will have a couple of solid players in this position for years to come.

The lack of consistency in the deeper midfield positions has recently seen Steven Gerrard take up the role, and it's one of many roles he can perform to the highest level. Though it is evident that Gerrard is a top performer in most positions, Liverpool would prefer to use him in a more attacking forward running role to help make the difference in the final third. Again, Lucas' presence in the side would accommodate this possibility.

This transformation - from being a player who many fans thought was just another dud Benitez signing, to his assumption of a pivotal role in the side - is one of the success stories of the modern Liverpool team, and one of the rare examples of a Brazilian wonderkid successfully adapting to the English game. It took a fair few seasons, and a certain amount of patience from coaches, players, and fans - who recognised his physical and mental commitment to the team even during difficult times.

Now he's found his role in the team, and found the form everyone thought he was capable of, it's unfortunate that injury has hampered his progress. But hopefully Lucas can return for a 2012/13 campaign which will build on the recent successes for both the player and the club.

The Original Nomadic Striker

Henry "Harry" Welfare.
The British Tricolour

Henry Welfare, known commonly as Harry, was a Liverpool born striker who went on to score 163 goals in 166 games for Fluminense of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  From what we know of his story there is a sense that he was a wandering football nomad who played the game by mixing amateur ethics with the hard work of a professional.  Here we look at how he ended up being a Flu club legend, rather than a Liverpool one.

Welfare played for numerous clubs in the North West of England including St Helens Recreation, Sandown, Hoylake, Northern Nomads, and Liverpool.  He probably played for far more teams than is documented, as he seemed to be willing to turn out for any local team who fancied giving him a game, and given his talents many would be willing to do so.  Some records state that he also played for Tranmere Rovers, Southport Central, and Wrexham.

At Sandown, Welfare was made player secretary by the club, and he always returned to this club in between playing for the more renowned and higher profile Northern Nomads.  The Nomads were another club who suited Welfare’s amateur outlook on the game, and they could be regarded as the northern equivalent of London’s Corinthians club.  Unlike the amateurs from down south, the Nomads would not limit themselves to playing against only amateur teams, and their matches against professional teams in the area may have been where Welfare was first noticed by Liverpool, especially as some of their games were played at Prenton Park in Birkenhead.  In the 1911/12 “season” (the Nomads only played friendlies) he scored 35 goals for the Nomads and this seemed to have been enough for Liverpool to want to take a closer look at the centre forward.

He made several appearances for Liverpool Reserves before eventually being promoted to the first team, and during this time he still made appearances for Northern Nomads, and maybe other amateur matches we (and Liverpool) don’t know about!  Liverpool realised that his performances in the reserves showed that he could easily adapt to a higher level, and his standout performances earned him a first team place.

His time at Liverpool brought mixed success, but the fans had taken to the hard working striker even after only four appearances.  Officials involved with the management of the club during this time obviously thought very highly of him, as is evident in the lucrative contract offer he received in an attempt to persuade him to stay on Merseyside and play full time for Liverpool in the First Division.  Fans and club officials thought that if he could dedicate himself full time to the club he could become one of their best players, but Welfare enjoyed the freedom his amateur status brought him too much to commit himself to one club on professional terms.  And he had a job or two lined up in Brazil...

His reluctance to play professionally may have played a part in him eventually joining Flumenense, as he was offered generous professional terms to play full time for Liverpool, but turned them down.  He went to Rio to teach at the Ginásio Anglo-Brasileiro not long after this offer - many of the so called gentleman amateurs of the time will no doubt have been persuaded to stay by the wages on offer in Liverpool.

There is an article on the Fluminense website which describes Welfare as the British Tricolour, and refers to him as “o gigante ruivo-grisalho” – the giant red-grey – when recalling the striker’s goal record and contribution to the clubs success.  Their debt to him is evident when the same article mentions that his goals helped make the club a power in football, and that he is still thought of so highly today shows the impact he had on the club.

The nomadic striker seems to have found his home, at least in football terms, at Fluminense, but some unconfirmed records state that he also played for Flamengo and even Corinthians.  Although an appearance for Flamengo could have been likely given that they are also based in Rio, it seems doubtful that he would have played for Corinthians who are based in Sao Paulo.  He did however score against the touring English Corinthains side whilst playing for an unofficial Rio de Janeiro team in 1913.

It is also known that an Exeter City team visited Rio as part of a South American tour in 1914.  They played against an early Brazilian national side made up of players from Rio and Sao Paulo teams, as well as playing in a match against English ex-pats.  Both games are said to have been played at Fluminense’s Estádio das Laranjeiras.  You wouldn’t bet against Welfare having played in one of these matches for either team, or maybe he was away playing for some little known local college side.