There's still no confirmation about the extent of Lucas' thigh injury--which is expected at some point today--but Liverpool's midfield will once again be tasked with moving forward without one of the best holding midfielders in football. Whether that's weeks or months, it's a blow for Brendan Rodgers, who hadn't been shy about how integral he felt Lucas was to making his brand of football successful. Joe Allen was more than serviceable on Sunday, and we're not talking about the club needing the type of cover they didn't have last season, but in the simplest of terms, Liverpool are much better with Lucas on the pitch.
So that he'll miss a spell is disappointing, but if we're looking for silver linings, his absence comes at what seems like the best possible time (if "best" is something that actually exists here), with the recently-arrived Nuri Şahin available for Arsenal's visit at the weekend. His match fitness might not be quite there yet, as he has only featured sparingly for Real Madrid after injuries and depth in quality kept him sidelined for most of his first season, and there are other possible temporary stand-ins that aren't Charlie Adam or Jay Spearing that most agree could put in a shift while Lucas gets back to full strength.
But if he's ready to go, Şahin's an appealing prospect, and one that should be able to slot in nicely with the direction Liverpool's headed. That fact's not lost on the player, who took in the draw with Manchester City on Sunday and is looking forward to a stylish and successful season on Merseyside (video below the jump):