While I watch Liverpool I can't say I've watced Lucas specifically but I've not noticed Lucas be particularly good, keep this in mind, Arsenal fans HATED Song as LIverpool fans hated Lucas. Now most Arsenal fans love song as Liverpool fans now love Lucas.
Song hasn't improved a jot, he's still a poor passer, slow, crap at getting forward and horrific defensively...... yet rated by many at Arsenal and outside of Arsenal as the best DM in the league.
Yet when asked what exactly it is he does so well, and pointed out the many many mistakes he makes I never get an answer of what he does well.
Essentially has Lucas improved that much, or did your expectations completely change, or have you spent so long with a crap DM that when he improved slightly, or quite possibly as with Arsenal other players help compensate, you just think he's improved?
I mean at Arsenal, apparently ignored by the vast majority, Nasri as far back as 3 years ago spent 3-4 games playing behind Song to cover his ass, Fabregas I remember got injured against Liverpool a few years ago and up till that point he had both played excellently, spent most of the game deeper than Song and was doing a huge amount of defensive work(while also getting forward and helping attack far more and far better than Song). Last season Wilshire spent the entire season as the DM to cover for Song, who wasn't even close to average offensively yet required sacrificing a great attacking player to cover him in defence. This year its Arteta doing it.
Is Lucas better, did your expectations change, or has the rest of the team who before Lucas left the work to Mascherano/Alonso, now make up for Lucas and help make him look good.
It's surprising how the same player can be viewed entirely differently by an entire fanbase of players over a couple years when they've played the same way the whole time.
I mean, Walcott, Sven put him in the england team, Capello still picks him, Wenger won't drop him, the fans loved him last year, think he's a joke this year...... Walcott hasn't changed the way he actually plays at all in 5 years, identical player to the one we bought, useless.
As to the last point, non creative players can be good, but you don't have to give up half your game to be good at another, the best players are simply great footballers who have no weak part to their game.
Again I'll mention Gilberto, as comfortable taking a penalty and scoring 12 in his best season for us, as being the best defensive midfielder in the world. Great passing forwards, or defending, great tackler, great intercepter, great vision, helped both get us on a counter attack by getting the ball out of trouble and forwards quickly and fine running forwards supporting a counter attack and getting the goal if required.
I mean, Liverpool's defence without caragher has improved a lot....... the team is conceding less.... Lucas wasn't the main change the defence was, but you're thinking Lucas has improved dramatically?
Walcott, last year he got a quite ridiculous number of goals and assists(and still really very low for a "top " player) and the fans loved him, the fact that he was horrific for 85mins of every game, and got a hattrick against a woeful team and a few lucky goals here and there turned the opinion from 85mins of waste to really great year. This season he hasn't gotten as lucky, played absolutely identically....... and the fans think he's a joke.
This is my problem with fans, get a goal, no one cares and opinion is entirely different, defence stops conceding........ DM must be doing great. It's the performance, that all I've ever focused on, crap for 89 mins, team lose, Walcott doesn't score, has 5 shots, misses with all, another game crap for 89 mins, Walcott scores, 5 shots, one fluky goal, team loses..... one performance would have Arsenal fans happy and the other would have them crying for a new signing...... for the same performance.
haha
