Carragher said, "For the last 18 months, in my opinion, he has been our best player," Carragher said. "Luis Suarez has come in and done great things for the club but Lucas has been his equal in many ways. He has been as good as anyone in the team this season and there is no question he will be a big miss."
"I have been there in terms of receiving criticism," Carragher said. "High standards are expected when you play for one of the big clubs and there are plenty examples of players who have gone missing after realising the demands on them.
"But you can tell Lucas is a top player as he never lets that bother him. He has just got on with it and plays in nearly every game. If he has a little knock, he will always try and carry on, doing his best for us. There are lots of different characters but you can't fault Lucas."
Saying all of that, what we are seeing in Lucas is the culmination after four years (183 appearances) and the foresight and belief that Rafa Benitez showed in him and that Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish continued to believe in.
That's why the mantle appears to be a chasm for either of the supporting candidates Jordan Henderson or Jay Spearing to fill. Funnily enough these two players opened up the play for Bellamy to create the opening goal for Maxi in the Carling Cup game. Henderson, has done a fair job in looking after the Liverpool right, especially because he is central midfielder. His style of play suggest that he is more suited to exploding from midfield as a box to box type, but he has proved at under-21 level an ability to guide a midfield and being a holding midfielder doesn't mean staying back for the full ninety minutes and like Spearing he may well have the game intelligence to play in that role.
If Jay Spearing is the player chosen and one hopes he is, it may well be his time in the sun because at 23 year old, his character suggest he is not the kind of player who will sit on the bench or play in the reserves for the foreseeable future. His play and natural aggression suggests he will be suited and I agree with the statements above that he will have to grab the opportunity to help the team continue its upward curve. Others may point to the way Maxi has grabbed his opportunity, already scoring three goals the season, but he is a seasoned campaigner used to the rigours and ins and outs of football. For a player with relatively few injuries, his lack of appearances must be a disappointment to him, but on the other hand it might just be that which ignites the blue (or our case, red) touch paper.
