lucas

According to the man himself, "I'm really pleased with how I have played in the last few games and the team is winning. When that happens, everyone has a better performance.” It would appear that the Liverpool midfielder is not wrong. Having seen a number of his performances of late, it would seem the young Brazilian midfielder has started to live up to his billing.

Following his performance against Chelsea the midfielder received rave reviews for his role in the victory. With a new manager and renewed belief at Liverpool it would seem Lucas is eager to impress and cement a regular place in the first team.

The much maligned Brazilian has certainly grown into a hard-working, tough-tackling midfielder who has been arguably Liverpool’s most improved and most consistent performer over the past 18 months. His performance against Chelsea very much seemed like a coming of age for the 23 year old.

Prior to his decent consistent form this season Lucas was targeted as a convenient scapegoat by supporters – admittedly, mainly those who rarely if ever attended games when Benitez’s reign unravelled last season. However, Hodgson showed an early sign of faith in the Brazilian by naming him skipper in Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly.

Then came the arrivals of fellow central midfielders Christian Poulsen and Raul Meireles, this appeared to jeopardise the Brazilian’s position. Instead, Lucas has responded positively and been a mainstay of the line-up that has kick started Liverpool’s season with four straight wins.

The young midfielder reaffirms the idea he has started to live up to his billing by stating “Everyone could see that the manager had brought in a midfielder in Poulsen and Mascherano was still here. We had a lot of midfielders. I don't really think about things too much. I just want to keep working hard and be pleased with myself. I am trying to do everything I can. If at the end the manager doesn't play me, it is his decision; all I can do is work really hard.”

This positive attitude has definitely proved beneficial not only for Lucas but the whole team. The young Brazilian seems to have turned a corner in the hearts and minds of the fans as he matures into a hard-working, tough-tackling defensive midfielder. The true test will be if he can maintain this decent start to the season. What do you think? Is Lucas well on his way to becoming a Premier League star?

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