Why Liverpool should stick with Lucas and avoid this controversial midfielder

Yann M’Vila

Having been pictured with Liverpool fans amongst the Goodison Park crowd during the 3-3 Merseyside derby draw, Yann M’Vila is suddenly being spoken of as a prospective January transfer target (according to The Express) but is he worth the fuss?

There were supposedly no shortage of takers when Yann M’Vila’s name was initially circulated around the English game.

The Frenchman appeared to possess all the key qualities required to be a Premier League hit, with as many technical assets as there were physical.

So, even to this day, it remains something of a mystery as to why this enigmatic midfield man never did grace these shores with his combative style.

The answer, ironically, is in the closing part of that sentence. Having such an aggressive on-field modus operandi has translated itself off the pitch too, with M’Vila becoming more and more renowned for his misdemeanours.

His reputation has nosedived immeasurably with it, including an almighty fall from grace in the international setup after heading to a nightclub just hours before a crucial European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Norway, which France would go on to lose 5-4 on aggregate.

This led to a ban from the national team until June 2014 and while his role in proceedings cannot be questioned, it was perhaps amplified given his character – the 23-year-old’s decision to snub a handshake with then manager Laurent Blanc at Euro 2012 resulted in a one-match suspension from the French side.

A string of injury problems have hardly helped M’Vila’s cause either in proving that the perennial links to English clubs were ones worth taking up one.

Ultimately, no-one bit the bullet and concluded a deal for the former Rennes man despite Tottenham and particularly Arsenal being hotly tipped to seal a move.

The interest from English clubs – which also included QPR and Fulham – can be dated back to 2010 when he first emerged onto the first-team scene with Rennes but speculation intensified during the summer of 2012, when the departure of Alex Song led many to believe the Gunners would bring in a like-for-like replacement.

The argument over whether Arsene Wenger’s men really did need M’Vila can be saved for another day, but on current evidence the answer appears damning.

M’Vila’s stock fell so that when Rubin Kazan had a reported £9.6m fee accepted for his services in January of this year, it represented a stunning £18.4m drop from the alleged £28m offered the summer before from an unknown English club.

His time in Russia, where he sought to escape the constant negative media attention – has largely backfired, having been dominated by headlines of his involvement with a prostitute and knee injuries which have further threatened to curtail his chaotic career.

Interestingly though, M’Vila was spotted alongside Liverpool fans in the Reds’ end of Goodison Park during the astounding Merseyside derby on Saturday and just when it seemed the English press had got rid of him for good, M’Vila’s appearance at the 3-3 draw has got the rumour mill whirring once more.

But, with an embarrassment of riches in terms of midfield numbers, is M’Vila the man Brendan Rodgers needs to transform his Liverpool side from title challenge pretenders into genuine contenders?

Given his 6ft frame and position on the field, the player he would have to oust from Rodgers’ current setup would be Lucas Leiva.

The Brazilian has taken the complete opposite path to M’Vila in that he started off very much an Anfield scapegoat before becoming a cult hero with his all-action displays, in stark contrast to the talented French youngster that fell by the wayside.

While comparison is made slightly difficult by the difference in games played, there are some interesting observations to be made from the duo’s figures.

The areas where M’Vila particularly excels, for instance, are in physical confrontations, which isn’t altogether that surprising and his 67% average duels won illustrates this, with Lucas’ 44% a noticeable drop.

The Brazilian actually fares well in take ons (50%) and his headed duels (67%) but his tackling is clearly has room for improvement as displayed in his 83 unsuccessful tackles making his success rate a disappointing 43%.

33 fouls, too, is far too many from 10 games and brings a pressure of its own on to a Liverpool backline which has hardly looked water-tight so far this campaign. Indeed, one of Lucas’ fouls indirectly led to Everton’s second equaliser of the contest in Saturday’s thriller.

M’Vila’s tackle success rate of 57% stands him apart in this field and epitomises the type of midfield work the Frenchman can offer. 57% of fouls suffered versus 43% committed, a 78% take on success and 68% headed duel success are all figures which put Lucas in the shade to a degree but such pertinacious protection of the back four is only winning half the midfield battle.

Rodgers’ foundations at the club have been built on by keeping the ball with a series of short passes to build from the back and bring the livewire strike partnership of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge into play.

M’Vila’s 87% is no measly total and easily tops the list of those Kazan players to have made a significant amount of appearances. But it is put into some sort of perspective by Lucas’ outstanding 91% passing accuracy, the best of a talented Liverpool midfield and only Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel can boast any better from the entire squad.

The average length of pass is another aspect of M’Vila’s approach that may dissuade Rodgers from firming up any tentative interest. 22m, in comparison with Lucas’ 17m, indicates a tendency to play a long ball and while the Brazilian’s average long passes come in at a reasonable 33m, the 40m of the former is surely ill-fitting with the system Rodgers has worked tirelessly to instil into this Liverpool side.

Elsewhere, there is very little in the way of stats to split the two. Lucas’ average shot accuracy of 100% paints a slightly falsified picture given he has attempted just the one effort on goal and, equally, M’Vila’s 38% has been as a result of attempting more shots on goal (8).

The Frenchman triumphs in creating chances (7 to Lucas’ 5) but the fact he has played more games in the Russian Premier League than his counterpart has in the Premier League influences his performance in this field.

Interestingly enough, M’Vila ranks fairly poorly amongst his teammates for average defensive actions and while only defenders are ahead of him, six players have made more blocks or challenges than his tally of four. Lucas, like the fellow defensive-minded M’Vila, tops the midfield list but beats off the likes of Glen Johnson, Jose Enrique and Aly Cissokho in his work efforts to stifle opponents.

M’Vila realised the opportunity to turn out on English turf in the Europa League clash with Wigan who, although lacking in Premier League quality, displayed the sort of grittiness, tenacity and desire – all attributes commonly associated with the 23-year-old – to secure a potentially valuable point in a 1-1 draw.

The Frenchman was clearly a step above the rest as his 100% tackling, take-ons and clearance success rate can testify but the Latics’ Championship status is indicative of the level of opposition Kazan were up against. Premier League opposition is required before a proper assessment can be made of M’Vila’s strengths and limitations.

So, with all this taken into account, it would appear unlikely that M’Vila is the man Liverpool need to ignite a title challenge or stay on course of a top four berth.

Although the recent defeat to Arsenal was as clear a sign as any this season that Liverpool lack quality in the middle third of the pitch, M’Vila is not the man to supply the goods for the ‘SAS’ partnership, nor is he superior enough to simply depose of Lucas in a defensive midfield position he has made his own.

Considering the eternal links with the English top-flight, M’Vila’s time will surely come. Whether it is in January and whether he ends up on Merseyside or not, is a different story entirely.