The thing is, because somebody doesn't appreciate Lucas, or views Lucas in the same light as you, doesn't mean they don't view the game the way it should be viewed. I can see the quality and affect of having Mascherano in the team, I can see what's positive about Lucas in the team, what I don't see is a great player who will be part of a great team. Maybe I view things differently, maybe I don't hold how things were done in the 70's and 80's as my reason for doing things now, but I've been given the impression, since Benitez came here, that the central spine is the most pivotal area of the team, the area where your best players play; the area of the team that is most pivotal to maintaining consistently good results. In 08/09, the pinnacle of Benitez's era, our spine looked like this: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Masch, Xabi, Gerrard, Torres. I won't go off listing how those players benefited one and another, and how having those players gelled in the middle made Liverpool a top 5 club in Europe, that much is obvious, but Lucas isn't anywhere near the quality of those marked in bold. He has attributes on a few (more disciplined than Gerrard, quicker than Xabi, better variety of passing than Masch), but doesn't have world class attributes to contribute to a world class spine. He doesn't have great pace, strength or even mobility. He doesn't have great shooting, consistent passing range or game-controlling passing. He doesn't have vision, offensive flair or drive when he's on the ball. The only things he has that are at a top level are intangibles, he's a foot soldier who can be tidy on the ball, but to compete at the highest level, you have to have more than that, you simply do, in my opinion. He can be a squad player, he can back up good players and come in when the foundations are built, but I don't think he can be part of a great core, I just don't think he's good enough to be viewed as a long-term solution.
And yes, I do get it, I have mentioned his obvious qualities, I see them, I just don't see them done well enough for him to form the next Xabi, Masch and Gerrard, I don't see a player in of their caliber in Lucas, or anywhere near their caliber. I feel if we're to succeed in the future, we have to rebuild that spine, or something extremely close to that spine, because it was as close to complete as there is in the modern game.