Rafa: Lucas will continue to improve

The shrill of Franck de Bleeckere's final whistle had barely subsided when the phone-ins started, looking to apportion blame for Liverpool’s Champions League struggles.

Predictably, the names were the same. Angry of Anfield and Worried of Woolton all knew which players were culpable for stopping Liverpool securing a win in Lyon which would have kept them in control of their European destiny.
 
It was, of course, easy to see where many were coming from on certain individuals; yet that some felt Lucas should be included in the rogue's gallery which was being assembled was a source of utter bewilderment to Rafa Benitez.
 
Though it is true to say Lucas missed a glorious chance to give Liverpool the lead midway through the second half in the Stade Gerland, it was the only blot on an otherwise spotless copybook.
 
Neat and tidy in possession, diligent in his work and desperate to help the Reds get back on course, Lucas played with a confidence that suggests he is now starting to get fully attuned to the Liverpool way of life. 
 
While it is improbable he will ever enjoy mass popularity on the terraces, that is unlikely to ever cause Benitez to lose sleep, especially if the Brazilian's form continues to move on upward trajectory, as has been the case for most of this season.
 
An impressive figure in the win over Manchester United last month - his efforts glossed when he put David Ngog through to score the crucial second - Lucas again showed he is coming of age in France earlier this week.
 
Lucas will be part of the side that faces Birmingham City at Anfield on Monday evening and Benitez is backing the man he signed from Gremio in 2007 to build on recent efforts with another solid performance.
 
"When we played Manchester United, some people came up to me and said Lucas was really good," said Benitez.
 
"But when you analyse the situation, you will see that he is a young player who came to a big club like ours. It was different to anything he had ever known and he had no other option but to adapt.
 
"He has also had to get used to the language, the way of life and it was a problem for someone who had spent all their life initially in Brazil. Yet he shows character every single game and every single day when he is training.
 
"He works hard, he is always trying to improve. Now we are watching him and we can see he is playing well at this moment in time but we know he is going to keep getting better in the future."
 
Given the way he trains and conducts himself, it is almost inevitable that Lucas - who is still only 22 yet a regular in Brazil's national side - will continue to progress and Benitez believes the benefits will be two-fold.
 
"He is a very good professional and I think that a lot of our fans realise he is someone who gives everything on the pitch for them," said Benitez.
 
"His confidence is growing, he's trying to take responsibility and he is doing everything. I'm pleased for him and pleased for us because the club is the most important thing."
 
The most important thing on Monday, clearly, is to get three points to restore a sense of calm again following one of the most difficult and demoralising spells the club has been through during the past decade.
 
Lisandro's goal in the dying seconds of the Lyon game invoked the kind of feelings teams usually suffer after losing in cup finals and the flight home from France was, not surprisingly, a very subdued affair.
 
But having had two days to reflect on their efforts, it has registered with the squad that the performance was much better than anything they had produced in more than a month and maintain such standards will spark a transformation in results.
 
More than anything, however, Lucas - who next Saturday will play for Brazil against England in Qatar - recognises there is a need to take three points off Birmingham to relieve some of the pressure on Benitez.
 
"We are in a difficult moment, but we are the ones on the pitch and it is up to us to improve," Lucas said. "Rafa is a really good manager and now we have to try to win for ourselves, but also for him because he has been really good for us and me in particular.
 
"He gave me opportunities and he gave me confidence, so now I want to pay him back by playing well, working really hard and performing as he expects me to. Maybe I was low last year when I got booed at Anfield.
 
"But that is in the past. The supporters, especially the Kop, have been really good with me this season. They are helping me all the time and giving me confidence. I have heard my name being sung and it made me feel really good. It is special when the Kop sings your name, and I appreciate that so much.
 
"I feel I'm growing in confidence this season. I'm a totally different player to the one who arrived at Liverpool. Now I have a good relationship with them, but the most important thing is about what is best for Liverpool - not what is best for me."

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the views or position of Liverpool Football Club.