Douglas Luiz - coming back?

[Risso]

Agreed rouge, the ref was shockingly inconsistent today.

[chrisw1]

Luiz is our best player.  He’s fucking brilliant and I love him.  And I’m only two beers in. 

[AV84]

One problem is that he's now had 4 yellow cards (as has Digne), although today's yellow was so soft. Gilmour went down after a few minutes holding his head and the ref thought it was worth a booking.

Digne being on 4 could be a major problem given Moreno seems to have disappeared again.

[itmustbe_it is!]

Absolutely outstanding today.

[chrisw1]

I also think he was better than he was given credit for pre Emery.  He was just asked to do too much defensive work and was crying out for someone alongside him.

[pablo_picasso]

I also think he was better than he was given credit for pre Emery.  He was just asked to do too much defensive work and was crying out for someone alongside him.

100% valid point...

He certainly suffered from the role he was being asked to perform.

He did it without complaint & to the best of his ability, but it just didn't suit his game.

He seems a much free-er (word?) player now he has been given permission to take & keep the ball in tight areas...

[LukeJames]

One problem is that he's now had 4 yellow cards (as has Digne), although today's yellow was so soft. Gilmour went down after a few minutes holding his head and the ref thought it was worth a booking.

Digne being on 4 could be a major problem given Moreno seems to have disappeared again.

No problem at all, we have SJM to fill in there.....

[Tony Daleys Shorts]

Superb touch, plays with his head up, plays short and long passes with aplomb. Strong in the tackle and has an eye for a goal.

The complete midfielder, up there with Sid Cowans.

[Steve67]

He really dictates the pace of the game and keeps things ticking over.  Plays some lovely passes and just gets everywhere.  I honestly used to wonder what he brought to the game but these days I think he's quite possibly my favourite player.  He has been immense for us this season.  Brazilian squad beckons, surely.

[London Villan]

We really miss him when he doesn’t play.

[PeterWithesShin]

12-18 months ago there were plenty that didn't rate him and would have binned him off. It shows the importance of a decent manager and coaching.

[Dante Lavelli]

The player he has become, particularly under Emery, just shows what a top level coach can do.

Playing with better players also helps. Didn't help when he first arrived that his defensive partners were either Nakamba (shit) or McGinn (great, but a bit shit in a defensive two).

Better players or better manger?  Nakamba rarely played.

[LeeB]

There isn’t a midfielder in the Premier League I’d swap him for. Nobody, uh uh.

This all day long and twice on Sundays.

[LeeB]

At the end of the game he took a ball on the edge of the box with a Brighton player up his arse and played a scooped pass 45 degrees behind him that was just fucking physically impossible.

He is the man.

[Dave]

I also think he was better than he was given credit for pre Emery.  He was just asked to do too much defensive work and was crying out for someone alongside him.

100% valid point...

He certainly suffered from the role he was being asked to perform.

He did it without complaint & to the best of his ability, but it just didn't suit his game.

He seems a much free-er (word?) player now he has been given permission to take & keep the ball in tight areas...

Yup, all of this and Chris's post above.

I'd also add that he joined us at age 21, not that much older than the youth players we've been adding.

In the last few years when we were saying he was too defensive, not defensive enough, trying too hard, not trying enough - I think he was judged as being a highly rated Brazilian signed from Man City who wasn't brilliant from day one. Young players don't know exactly what they are and how they want to play when he was attracting all those criticisms.

There were probably Liverpool fora whining 22 years ago about why this Gerrard kid kept giving the ball away, or not knowing how to play as a defensive midfielder, or going missing in big games etc.

He's never been anything less than good. He's now our best midfielder since...Milner? Probably past him now on longevity. Barry?