Lucas: Let's end the year with a flourish
Lucas Leiva intends to bring a year of highs and lows for Liverpool to a positive conclusion by taking three points from the Reds' final clash of 2014 against Swansea City at Anfield this evening.
The beginning of the year saw the midfielder without a regular place in the starting XI and the Brazilian went on to feature sporadically as the Reds embarked on a charge towards the Barclays Premier League summit.
Lucas made contributions during the 11-match winning streak, providing a game-changing display as West Ham United were beaten in April to further stoke the team's title push.
The 27-year-old returned for a three-game spell in Jordan Henderson's absence and he was in the line-up when Liverpool's momentum was halted in a sobering 2-0 defeat by Chelsea.
By the time the Reds travelled to Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League in November, Lucas had just five starts to his name during the current season, but he was restored to the team in Sofia.
Since that night, Brendan Rodgers' side have lost just one game in nine, with the solitary reversal arriving against Manchester United, which was the only encounter Lucas played no part in.
"It wasn't a perfect year for me, but I think it's ending in a good way," he told Premier League Productions. "I missed the chance to play at the World Cup and the last three or four months, I wasn't playing so much here.
"But for the team, it's a different season and a different moment. We just have to be together as a team and I think we have shown in [the last] few games that we are capable of achieving what we want.
"We have a long run of games now, where we just need to focus on that. And hopefully this busy period will be a positive one."
Liverpool will aim for a third consecutive victory over the Swans as they head into tonight's fixture on the back of a hard-fought triumph over Burnley on Boxing Day.
The last time Swansea arrived on Merseyside, Lucas was in the starting XI as the Reds left it late to seal a dramatic 2-1 win in the Capital One Cup, courtesy of Dejan Lovren's Kop end header.
"They are a very good side," said the Brazilian. "We played them in the League Cup and they have fantastic players and they pass the ball well. They are always dangerous and looking to score goals.
"It's hard in every single game. You have to take each game at a time and give your best all the time because you can't relax.
"Brendan knows a lot about their manager [Garry Monk], as he was his player. It will always help to know the way they are thinking. But it's what you do on the pitch as a team that will help you win games."