Liverpool were dealt a major blow mid-week when it was confirmed that Lucas would miss the rest of the season with significant anterior cruciate ligament injury, suffered during the victory against Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup. The Brazilian has been one of the first names on the team sheet and an integral part of Kenny Dalglish's system, raising questions as to who will step up to fill the massive void in the heart of mid-field for Liverpool.
Club captain Steven Gerrard is not an option, suffering from an ankle infection that has kept him on the sidelines since the tail end of October, with no timetable in place for his return. Jonjo Shelvey has been re-called from his loan spell at Blackpool in an effort to provide more options. One player’s misfortunes is another's opportunity, Jordan Henderson will relish the chance to play in his favored position up the middle, starting slow but coming on strong of late and elevating his form to earn a look. But the player best suited to provide cover for the injured Lucas just happened to be his partner on the pitch that same night at Stamford Bridge.
The journey into the first team has been a road well-travelled for Jay Spearing. Having been a member of the Liverpool youth set-up since 1997 as a schoolboy, promotion to Melwood was achieved ten years later, culminating a boyhood dream for the Wallasey born mid-fielder. But the battle to establish himself and carve out a place on the roster was just beginning.
Even a spot on the bench was tough to come by early on for Spearing, with the likes of Gerrard and Xabi Alonso holding down both places in the starting eleven, way down in the pecking order with Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun next in line. His only appearances came in the Champions League, coming in as a substitute for Rafa Benitez during big wins against PSV and Real Madrid. One for the future, Liverpool made sure to lock him up on a brand new three-year deal that summer.
Spearing has the look of a rugged veteran written all over his face, despite being only twenty-three and having less than fifty senior appearances under his belt. Strong performances when called upon have seen his appearances double season after season under three different managers, small steps but positive signs moving forward.
It is hard not to overlook a player of his stature, especially when the job requires a physical presence. Spearing stands five feet seven inches and weighing just eleven stones. But what may be lacking in size, he more than makes up for with sheer determination and the heart of a lion, never backing down to any challenge. Most are amazed at the strength he possess, even bullying bigger players off the ball with relative ease, and more importantly knowing how to properly close down the passing lanes to put pressure on his opponents. Not really blessed with blistering pace, Spearing's football I.Q. is what separates him from the group of worthy contenders vying for a place in the starting eleven.
Spearing made only five appearances for the Reds in 2009/10, which was the last for Benitez as Liverpool manager. It might seem like a small amount but the mid-fielder did well in those performances, enough to earn a loan spell with Leicester City to end the year. Never going to get many minutes at Liverpool with Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas and Alberto Aquilani ahead of him, the move was a positive sign that the club had real long term plans invested in his development, making nine appearances for the Foxes in the short loan spell and scoring his first and only goal at the senior level.
If you’re looking for flash and flare, Spearing is not that type of player. But that is not what Liverpool need at the moment. Lucas did the dirty work in the middle, getting stuck into tackles, breaking up possession and generally pestering the opposition for ninety minutes, giving Gerrard and Charlie Adam the time and space to move forward in attack. The Reds need a defensive midfielder with similar qualities that is fearless and ready to do the work that usually goes unnoticed by the average viewer, although the importance of this type of player is crucial to a team's success in the modern era of football. Spearing possess all those qualities and can be that player for Liverpool.
Last season for the most part was a disaster for Liverpool, under Roy Hodgson the club was a mess and plummeted down the table. One embarrassing loss after another cost the new manager his job a week into the new year, but for Spearing it proved to be successful. For the first time the midfielder was included in the club's twenty-one man squad for the Premiership, and saw his minutes substantially inflated with numerous appearances in the Europa League.
Unfortunately an ankle injury suffered in training put a temporary damper on things, keeping him sidelined for almost two months. But under the watchful eye of club legend and new manager Kenny Dalglish, the youngster was given a real chance to break through and hold down a place, finishing with eleven appearances in the league and ironically forming a solid partnership with Lucas, while filling in for the injured Gerrard.
With the influx of midfielders arriving at the club this past summer, games have been harder to come by for Spearing. All but one appearance have come by way of the Carling Cup. Instead of sulking and asking for a loan move that would secure first team minutes, Spearing continues to knuckle down and fight for a place at Liverpool. The window of opportunity has finally presented itself with the club in need of reinforcements. The time has come for Spearing to rise to the challenge and take hold of what he has worked so hard to achieve, it is difficult to argue someone more deserving of that chance.
Most folks outside Liverpool do not have the slightest clue about Jay Spearing, the one's that do have always kept an eye on the mid-fielder's progress within the ranks at Melwood. Barely able to make the fringes with foreign imports dominating the squad list on match-days in recent years. The new found British revolution happening at Anfield has provided optimism for a growing list of players from the Academy. Martin Kelly leads the list of home-grown talent making the step into the first team, next on that list is Jay Spearing.
Dalglish will be hard pressed to justify the money spent on Henderson, and may lean to him to fill the void initially, although Spearing has caught the eye of his manager on the back of some gritty performances. Tailor-made to play that holding midfielder role, having similar attributes to the man he is aiming to replace. It seems like the most obvious decision to make, but it is up to the players to do the hard work in training and convince their manager they are worthy of his selection.
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