Lucas Leiva: all players need an escape from pressures of English football to stay grounded and out of trouble He made his life around the farm so I used to go there for months during the holidays. As a kid it was something I really enjoyed and a chance to see a way of living outside of the city. My brother took it over some years later and is still there looking after it so I can still go back at the end of every season. We have everything there, all the cattle, cows and bulls. It is different from the pressure of English football, that is for sure. A real contrast. Lucas on his ranch in Brazil It is not normal, maybe, for people in England to imagine it but when I go there I make sure I play my part and do the work. I like to remember how I spent my weekends and holidays there. Many years ago we would go and be completely cut off, with no electricity. We've changed it a lot since then and had the internet connected, but when I go after the season is over I still try to forget about the world and relax. I see how much my life has changed compared to when I was there as a youngster and appreciate what football has offered me. It makes you value what you have even more and aspire to get better and better. I was lucky because my dad loved football, and my uncle played, so in my family I was able to go away with my dad, watch and play and be around the Brazilian national team watching the likes of Romario, Bebeto and Ronaldo and then spend time away from all this when I wanted to be on the farm. That's the environment where I grew up. I know kids look to players as heroes and will follow what we as players do on and off the pitch and I know I have a responsibility, but I do not feel pressure with that. If you live in the right way, it happens normally. As footballers we always want to send positive messages and sport is a way of developing your confidence and character, particularly football. The contrast with Suarez has to be put to Lucas, but he's uncomfortable comparing his own becalmed South American upbringing with the Uruguayan's other than to stress the player he sees described and vilified is unrecognisable to the man he knows. Lucas insists Luis Suarez is missunderstood "I know Luis and his family well but it's not fair for me to talk about his background," he said. He is a lovely person and a good friend outside the pitch and he wants to succeed on the pitch. He made mistakes and he will try to be a better person. If people are trying to help him, do not keep talking about it all the time. We just want to see him play football because he is brilliant. One of the suggestions proposed for Suarez is to seek more help from Liverpool's resident psychologist Dr Steve Peters. Lucas says he has personally benefited from the Melwood sessions, although another family connection has given him insight into how success is often a mental as much as physical challenge. "I met Dr Peters a few times," said Lucas. My wife and my mother-in-law are psychologists so I do have some experience of this at home, but obviously it's hard to talk about it so much with your family. I've always been interested in this because I can see where the benefits are. It's important for people to try everything. The players, the staff and everyone should do all the club offers. Dr Peters has worked with successful athletes and I worked with him a lot when I was injured, especially my second injury. Some players do not feel they need it, but it has worked for me. Next season we will work with him even more because he is helping. He teaches you to block all negative messages in your mind and that when there is something bad in your head, you can deal with that. Coming back from injuries you can have doubts, but he made me believe the good times will come around again. He insists on not giving any importance to negative thoughts. Despite a 7th place finish there has been little negativity at Anfield, although Lucas is realistic in his appraisal of recent years. Brendan Rodgers is bringing stability to Liverpool "It's been another difficult season because a new manager came in again and there were more players coming and going," he said. To have three or four managers in four years has not helped the club, but now we feel we can look forward. On and off the pitch it's been a difficult four or five years. The owners changed, managers have changed. One manager tries to build a team and then goes, and then another comes and it's start again. Next season is our first season for a while where we have a manager going into a second full season. The second half of the season was not bad but the start has cost us. Next season with the structure settled we know the manager, how he wants us to play and if we need to find the consistency to have a better chance. The chances of success are always higher when you are stable which is why I think next season will good for us. There is another hope for Liverpool now the man credited with knocking the club off its lofty perch has gone. "You can't overstate what Sir Alex Ferguson has done for football," said Lucas. He is probably the best manager for a long time. When I looked at his record and saw 1,500 games and he lost just around 200, that is not easy. He has left a strong structure to keep Manchester United strong, but we need to focus on improving ourselves not worry about them. If we can improve our performance we will have a better chance against Manchester United and Manchester City. The Premier League Schools Tournament was held at Anfield with the 20 clubs of the Barclays Premier League represented by schools in two categories: Under-11 mixed teams; Under-13 girls teams. This year's winners were Fulham (Under 11s) and Stoke (Under 13s)