Lucas: Let's set ourselves up for a good new year
Lucas Leiva believes Liverpool will have a strong base to build on in the new year if they can successfully navigate their way through a tricky run of Premier League fixtures before Christmas.
Of the Reds’ next six top-flight games, four are away from home, with that sequence being bookended by tomorrow’s trip to Southampton and the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on December 19.
A busy four-week period for Jürgen Klopp’s side also includes visits to Bournemouth and Middlesbrough, as well as meetings with Sunderland, West Ham and Leeds United - in the EFL Cup - at Anfield.
Lucas sees the upcoming month as an opportunity for the Premier League leaders to keep themselves in contention at the top of the table come the turn of the year.
“I think [it is a testing run of games], but we started the season with three away games which was already a difficult start,” the Brazilian told Premier League Productions.
“Always the away games feel more difficult, but if we can get through this period with so many away games I think it’d be a good chance for us to end up by January in a good position.
“That’s what we’re aiming for and going game by game will be key for us.”
The Reds have lost just once this season, scoring 40 goals in their 14 games in all competitions.
Victories over West Brom, Crystal Palace and Watford in their last three Premier League matches have yielded 10 goals, and while Lucas agreed that such form means everyone at Anfield is enjoying themselves, he feels the team’s reaction to setbacks could make or break their season.
“It’s a very good time, the team is doing very well. We’ve lost only one game until now and everything looks very positive,” the No.21 added.
“Of course it’s still only the beginning of the season, I would say everyone waits until January or February to see where the teams are.
“I think we have a good chance if we keep playing how we are at the moment and understand that there will be times where it is harder, and we probably won’t be scoring as many goals as we are at the moment. We have to cope with that and keep going and keep winning games.”
Klopp spoke of his respect for Southampton during his pre-match press conference at Melwood on Thursday, and Lucas echoed his manager’s thoughts on this weekend’s opponents.
“Southampton has been a very good club in the last few years, doing very well in the Premier League. They have some very good players, some of them are here with us now! That shows how strong they are and how strong they can be,” he said.
“So it’ll be another difficult game as always in the Premier League, and away from home it always seems even harder so it’s a difficult game for us.
“Coming back from the international break and having players back late, it’s always a different week, but we have to cope with that and make sure we’re all 100 per cent focused and hopefully get another win.”