Man I can't wait to see what Mano Menezes' Brazil side goes on to accomplish. Lucas is in fact the man that team is being built around. *Waiting with baited breath*
Not surprising at all. Mano Meneses watched lucas while the latter was stil in the academy (youth teams of gremio. which lived in the premises) Mano promoted him to the first team when Gremio was relegated!! (Anderson was also promoted in the same way, even younger but tough from he rough suburb he was born in. Anderson scored victory goal when Gremio was reduced to 7 men away from home and an hostile local police beat them mercilessly. That was the match Lucas played for Gremio in his first days a a first team player. This victory brought Gremio back to the serie A of the Brasileirao, became the saga of every Gremista and was called afterward "the battle of the Aflitos" (the name fo the stadium when this occured) After that, everything looks easy, said Anderson afer scoring a penalty for United in the Cl tropy game. Anderson began his Europe career in Porto at a very early age, suffered a terrible injury and did not play for a long time. After that ManU bought him. He shone in his first year, and than has his ups and downs. Lucas on the other hand stayed in Gremio and Mano Menezes practically built the team around him and an older player named Checo. In the first year back from relegation Mano's team gained a place in the Livbertadores and Lucas was elected best player in Brasil. Lucas wanted to stay longer in Gremio and gain trophies there, but afterwards came the offer from Liverpool and Lucas duly left. Gremio after the departure of Lucas and Mano suffered some drawbacks.
Lucas was lucky to have a real coach during his young days. He said many times that he owed a lot to Mano, who was strict with him, praised him when it was due and critisized him also when it was due. There was a very good understanding between them.
SO it was logical and normal that Mano will give him a chance in his team in NT. Lucas came there fortified, a different Lucas that Mano did not know. He was much tougher in his physic, more skilled in defensive tasks. More mature in general. While In Gremio he was no. 8. so called segundo volante. Means that he was the one more advaned and usualy had another, more desructive, behind him, called primeiro volante
Today Lucas plays primeiro volante, he feels comfortable in this roll, he said. Ramires is the more advanced ones/ But as in theatre, there are not small and big parts, only big and small actors. IMHO, Lucas proved a great actor in his (so called) small part.
I wish I had the writing talent of Ari to describe it more systemathically.But those of you who were lucky to watch the 4 games of the Mano selecion, could see a Lucas who was one of the key players of the team. taking the ball from the CD, double passes with the FB s, many times iniciate some lances that bring goals. At the same time he also covers for those of the defense quartet who run forward to assist the attack. His improving since the Olympic games surprised even me, one of his most faithful fans.
Reading some posts here, I woder what would have become of Gerrard if Mano Menezes were his academy coach. Maybe one of he best players in he world
Mano always talked with the players, collectively and also privately with some of his "babies" He did not spare them, but they learned much about all the aspect of football, from the physical aspect till the mental , tactics and all.
IN Gremio there were concentrations in hotels of the players before important home games, and clinics in some resort often before away games. The players spent more times together and felt more like "a team"
When Lucas came to England he was surprised "Train only once a day, no concentrations??" in one of his most recent interview to the Sportv channel in Brazil, he talked about it "saying: this not only enabled us to spend more time with the family, but put more responsability upon every one of us. THe coach and staff entrusted the players to take care of themselves many hours in the week. That was the interpratation of Lucas on this practice in EPL. Lucas took it seriously, living the life of a professional athlete and playing "for the team". Of course there were others who spent this free time drinking in bars, not mentioning some worse adventures..
To finish this too long post, I assure you, beleiving or not, there is more to Lucas than you see in the first glance. His tweeter posts are yet another proof of his excellent choise of words, with subtle irony that is only vaguey noticed.
In the a/m interview, when he served as guide to the reporter in whole the infrastructure of Liverpool training complex, which most of us has never seen, he shared a Carraguer epizode with us , while laghing heartily (Now, not then)
It was just a few days after he came to England, his English was very basic, and Carraguer accent was horrible, according to Lucas, he did not understand a word.. but he understood that Cara is an important senior player so he just answered it with a contundent YES!! The anger of the defender made him understand his error, he quickly utterd "NO,NO,NO" than Cara said OK and roamed on. Lucas confessed that up to this moment he has no idea what Carraguer wanted to tell him that day. So he finishes the video session smiling and in a good mood, winning over some young supporters to whom he bothers answer the tweets patiently. For me, a leader potential for days to come, as they say in Brazil "se Deus quiser" (Providing The Lord is willing", always add when somebody is speculating about
the future.
Here is the video of this interview or guided tour in Anfield, call it want you want.
http://sportv.globo.com/videos/v/expresso-da-bola:-bastidores-do-liverpool---25-de-novembro-de-2010---bloco-2/1382540/#/Programas/Expresso%20da%20Bola