‘When you come to Liverpool you come to win trophies’ – Lucas Leiva longs for Europa League success

Lucas Leiva, Liverpool (Getty Images)

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Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has revealed his desire for success at Anfield and admitted an extra incentive for him to progress in the Europa League this season – the competition is popular in Brazil.

The 24-year-old is still hunting for his first medal at Liverpool, and with the importance placed on the Europa League in Brazil, Lucas would love to end that wait in Dublin in May.

“For me it’s a big competition,” he told the club’s official website. “Maybe some people don’t give this competition too much importance but in Brazil the Europa League is very important for everyone.

“I am looking forward to getting through to the next stage and why not dream of the title? We have a good team, though there are still a lot of games to go and things to improve.

“Unfortunately I still don’t have medals but when you come to Liverpool you come to win trophies and that’s the way you have to always think. When you retire all you have are the good clubs you have played for and the trophies you have won.”

However, Liverpool are in a perilous position in this year’s Europa League, trailing 1-0 on aggregate to Braga, with the return leg on Thursday at Anfield.

Lucas admits that they will have to improve to progress, and with Braga in front with the prospect of away goals counting against them, it will be a difficult task.

“We were not happy because we didn’t score an away goal and we know how important that is,” he said. “Also our performance, especially in the first half, wasn’t good enough – it wasn’t the way we planned.

“I’m sure we’ll play better on Thursday and we’ll have big chances to score. At the end of the day we have to play better and we’ll play with confidence because of our fans.

“We must keep the ball better. If we have more possession we’ll be more dangerous.”