That comfort has, in truth, been evident in Lucas for almost 12 months, ever since the man-of-the-match display in the 1-0 victory at Aston Villa on Dec 29 last year, but it is in the first half of this season that he has finally started to earn praise from outside observers. Indeed, few would argue that he has been one of the few positives to emerge from the first six months of Roy Hodgson’s time at Anfield.