This is not entirely a post about Lucas. You'll find Lucas in the video, but that's mostly a result of the fact that he was healthy when Liverpool headed to Fulham in the spring, and I couldn't find a highlights package where he's been blurred out. But he does want you to know how much your support means to him. And for now he's a supporter just like us. And he'll come back stronger and probably better than Jesus. Son of a bitch, don't you know I'm fragile?
Done crying? Okay, good, me too. Let's go to a much happier place, which Craven Cottage proved to be back in May. Yes, Lucas played an important role in that victory, and Raul Meireles was there too. But Liverpool were absolutely magnificent as a collective on the day, scoring goals for fun and staving off a short-lived second half fight-back from the hosts to come away with one of their more dominant efforts of last season. Victories over Chelsea and the Manchester clubs were impressive in their own right, but this one brought hopes that Liverpool were once again a force to be reckoned with. And while it proved to be the last positive display of the season, as losses to Spurs and Villa would follow, it was an indication that, after a difficult few seasons, it was an okay thing to feel good about Liverpool again.
And with the disappointment of the past few days in mind, I'm leaning towards the sentiment of NotTooXabi's post in yesterday's poll thread: "You know what, fuck it...release the hounds. Let's just keep the ball for 90 minutes, play narrow, knit the shit out of something, and go home." Liverpool are more than capable of throwing another party---their back line's stronger, they've got all three goal scorers from last season's romp, and they've got an eager set of youngsters looking to prove they're capable of filling Lucas' void.
So maybe it's just blowing smoke for now, but sooner or later the season keeps going, and there'll be a point when the optimism isn't as forced. Maybe it's Monday, maybe not. Either way, moving pictures: