The defensive midfielder came at the halftime break to prevent Paul Lamberts side from continuing their dominance in the middle of the park. Early goals from Andreas Weimann and Christian Benteke saw the Villains race to an early lead at Anfield as primary Liverpool owner John W. Henry watched on from the sidelines. Although the introduction of Lucas for fellow Brazilian Philippe Coutinho seemed to stem the tide, a clash of knees sent him for an early bath, and now, apparently, an extended spell on the treatment table.
Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is in the process of trying to convert mercurial club captain Steven Gerrard into a deep-lying playmaker in the mould of Juventus stalwart Andrea Pirlo, but his conversion from balls to the wall midfield master to conductor hasn’t gone to plan and the injury to Lucas will only further the Anfield clubs fragility in the middle of the park. Joe Allen, who replaced the Brazilian after he heard a “click” in his knee, looked to be a capable replacement for highly rated defensive midfielder, but with the Welshman just returning from an injury of his own, there are obvious concerns surrounding his ability to fill in for the Liverpool mainstay.
The Anfield outfit have been linked with a host of defensive midfielders since the transfer window opened on January 1st and this latest blow to the squad could accelerate any plans Rodgers may have been making to bring in cover for Lucas – whether this month or in the summer. Rest assured that if we do make a move for someone before the end of the month, our bargaining position, not to mention the potential ramifications for our league position, just took a big blow.
