Lucas: 9-Point Penalty Will Be Bad

Lucas Leiva insists that the
Liverpool squad are not
allowing the looming prospect
of a possible nine-point
deduction to weigh too heavily
on their shoulders.
The Anfield club could be hit with
a Premier League points penalty
if parent company, Kop Holdings,
goes into administration next
week over an estimated debt of
£230million owed to Royal Bank
of Scotland (RBS).
New England Sports Ventures
(NESV) are attempting to take
over Liverpool ahead of next
Friday's RBS deadline, but co-
owners George Gillett and Tom
Hicks are taking the process to
the High Court as they believe a
£300m deal represents a half-
price sale.
An independent Reds' board
have accepted NESV's offer,
however, the legal dispute could
delay the completion and lead to
the points fine, with Sky Sports
News understanding that any
deduction could scupper the
takeover.
Slump
A nine-point loss would also see
Liverpool slump to the foot of the
Premier League table on a minus
total, but Lucas, who is on duty
with Brazil ahead of their friendly
with Ukraine at Pride Park, claims
he and his club-mates are not
overly concerned.
The midfielder told Sky Sports
News when asked about the
prospect of a deduction: "We just
have to wait and see what is
going to happen. We can't think
about what has not happened."
Ahead of next Sunday's
Merseyside derby against
Everton, Lucas believes that the
current international break
arrived with perfect timing for
Liverpool in the wake of their
defeat to Blackpool.
"I think this break came at the
right moment," he said.
"Everybody can rest a little bit
with their countries and, of
course, when we come back we
have to make sure we are ready
for the derby."