Lucas needs to improve from here on out if he hopes to stay at Liverpool and receive first team action. He has the skill, he just needs to show it on the pitch consistently. (Courtesy teamtalk.com)

By Kevin Koczwara

I picked Liverpool to finish second in the English Premier League this year. I still think they can finish in the top four, get the European bid they need to draw in big names in the off season, and maybe even win the EPL.

I am a Red Sox’s fan, so I tend to panic early, but if there is one thing I have learned over the past few years from watching that baseball team, it is to stay calm and let the ship right itself before jumping overboard. You never know what can happen during the course of a season.

This ship better even out soon or at least get its head above water, because the squad looks terrible. Yesterday’s 3-1 loss to Aston Villa has forced me to look at the squad and wonder if they practiced at all during training. Their touches, spacing, and defense were all sub-par, they looked like Portsmouth yesterday.

Steven Gerrard looked frustrated with the lack of link play and pace on the outsides. He just couldn’t get his game going. He seemed to be pressed in the middle with Yossi Benayoun crunching inside, not giving him any width on the left. Dirk Kuyt was a no show for almost the whole game.

And I’ll get to Lucas later.

What I noticed early on was Gerrard’s play. He didn’t finish when he had the chance early on, and his first touch seemed a little aloof. He didn’t look his sharpest, yet he still made some great plays and fired home a few nice shots from distance. Brad Friedel handled the shots nicely; being 100 years old he is as wise as an owl and knows his angles so well. As all Liverpool fans know, it is essential that Gerrard play well from the get go and be sharp, or this team flounders because they don’t have a great linkman to bring the ball forward in the attack.

The second hole I noticed was Benayoun on the left side. He didn’t give Liverpool any width or attack on the left side. There was a sequence in the first half where he booted the ball down the field without purpose 4 or 5 consecutive times, and Villa kept going right at him because he was panicking. I knew the squad was in trouble then.

Benayoun struggled to get up the left side and create any havoc with crosses into the box, or with dangerous runs. He was absent from the back post. Last year he had a knack for saving Liverpool from defeat or tie with timely goals. He just did not produce against Villa and should have been subbed earlier.

Liverpool need Riera’s pace, strength, ball skill and width on the left so that Gerrard and Torres have room to operate in the middle. They also need Riera’s crosses whipping in the box and creating havoc on opposing goalies and defenders. His absence was evident as there was no progress up the left-side for the Reds.

As for Drik Kuyt, he just pains me to watch a lot of the time. He makes many bone-headed plays or horrible touches on the ball, but he works hard. And now with Glen Johnson behind him I think it will work out. I just wish he would have been a little more involved early on. He is the pest they need on the right side who just outworks opponents and makes other players make mistakes leading to a loss of possession for opponents and goals for Liverpool.

A bright spot in the game for me was Glen Johnson’s play. He made things happen in the offensive side, and hampered Ashley Young for the most part (Young got his goal and on a penalty kick won by another player).  I was skeptical of Johnson and his price tag, but he looks to be worth it. He has great ball skills and is a sizable defender with good pace, so he can stop and shadow just about anyone coming on the opponent’s left side. Hopefully he can keep it up. He created plenty of opportunities for other players to finish.

Now for Lucas. He was terrible. He has yet to adapt to the English game. We saw that he can play, and has the technical skills (he put on one great move in the middle of the game after his own goal) but his head isn’t there yet. He turns the ball over to easily, and moves into occupied space too often. He is being called up for Brazil’s next international game, but I don’t see him playing after his performance against Villa. He needs to get adapt to the speed, and force of the Premier League, and soon. This needs to be his year. We all know his potential, and hopefully he fulfills it in the Red shirt of Liverpool, not after a sale.

Every time Lucas is on the field I can feel my heart skipping beats. Maybe Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel can take him out and toughen him up. Get him some tats, shave his head, and make him into a sturdy centre midfielder.

Let’s hope that Liverpool can bounce back and beat the floundering Bolton Wanders who look to be wondering to relegation this year. Thank God. They are my least favorite team to watch in the EPL.

Kevin Koczwara is a contributing writer and the editor for The Soccer Guys. He can be reached at kkoczwar@gmail.com or fansoffutbol@gmail.com. Follow the Soccer Guys on Twitter for all your updates: TheSoccerGuys.

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