Monday, February 6th, 2012
Liverpool midfielder never gave up in his darkest hours at the club.
Lucas is now enjoying the plaudits at Liverpool, but it could all have gone very wrong as self doubt and high expectations almost brought his career to an early end.
Liverpool’s no-nonsense midfielder from Brazil joined the club in 2007 and despite promising early displays, many questioned the value of Benitez’s South American signing. Under the heavy pressure of being one of Rafael Benitez’s own signings, Lucas was an easy target for brickbats as he was often selected by the manager for the team but did not fare too well especially during Liverpool’s live EPL matches.
The past year has seen much better displays from the Brazilian midfielder and he feels that it is now time to fully show what he is capable of by helping to lead Liverpool to fourth place in the English Premier League.
“It’s been a very difficult time both for the team and for me,” said Lucas, according to the Liverpool Echo.
“I know a lot of people have been unhappy with my performances, particularly at the start of the season.
“The team wasn’t doing well and results were bad. But I’ve learned a lot more about myself and become a stronger person and player. It has made me desperate to prove people wrong.”
“There have been times [in the past] when I thought I may have made the wrong decision but now I am sure that I have made the right one,” Lucas added.
“My game has changed a lot since leaving Brazil. I was able to attack more at Gremio because I played with two defensive midfielders, In England you have more responsibility.
“I still think I have some work to do if all the fans are going to believe in me. I’m happy and I feel I’m improving. But it isn’t about me, it’s about the club doing well.”
Tags: Brazil, English Premier League, EPL, football news, Liverpool, Liverpool news, Lucas Leiva