Alisson Becker

[Slinky Skills]

Disappointed with Alisson, I really thought we would go the whole league campaign without conceding a goal. No chance of that happening now.

[BG1973]

I can only see the positives.

He looked relaxed after it and so did the team as we held on to our lead.

That would never have happened before.

[Snigger]

Do you think he was concussed :-0

[Rich]

I can only see the positives.

He looked relaxed after it and so did the team as we held on to our lead.

That would never have happened before.

With our previous keepers I don't think we'd have hung on for the win.

[fowlen]

No issues with Alisson screwing up. He would have learnt from it, and rather now than (and in a game that we took full points) than later.
For me he was not the worry. Our complete lack of shape in midfield was very worrying. Leicester bossed that area and put our defence under huge pressure. Keita is imperative in the middle.

[Tribute]

No issues with Alisson screwing up. He would have learnt from it, and rather now than (and in a game that we took full points) than later.
For me he was not the worry. Our complete lack of shape in midfield was very worrying. Leicester bossed that area and put our defence under huge pressure. Keita is imperative in the middle.

This.
We lost nearly every second ball in the second half and Leicester dominated the midfield. No idea where that came from as the first twenty minutes we looked assured and well on top and in control.
I'm not one to knock Henderson - I think he's been very good at times last season - but we did look totally different when Keita came on. Urgency, pushing forward, finding a man, going forward... all started to happen again with the introduction of him and Shaq.

Hoping it's just an off day at the office for the lads, winning when playing mediocre is a great thing. We'd have dropped two points with that effort last season...

[S-RED]

I am hoping that JK see's quickly that against teams like Leicester & mid-lower table teams he doesn't need Gini, Millie & Henderson playing in a three; we need to be pushing these teams back, which will allow us to be the ones on the front foot. I think Saturday showed that allowing teams to dominate the possession caused us issues & lead to errors, misplaced passes, etc.

Against teams like Man City, a solid three (Gini, Millie, Hendo, although that said i think the Ox played in a three against them in the league) will probably suit us better & nullify (to an extent) the opponents attacking desire; but against lesser teams, we need to be in the ascendancy

[Lecter]

I am hoping that JK see's quickly that against teams like Leicester & mid-lower table teams he doesn't need Gini, Millie & Henderson playing in a three; we need to be pushing these teams back, which will allow us to be the ones on the front foot. I think Saturday showed that allowing teams to dominate the possession caused us issues & lead to errors, misplaced passes, etc.

Against teams like Man City, a solid three (Gini, Millie, Hendo, although that said i think the Ox played in a three against them in the league) will probably suit us better & nullify (to an extent) the opponents attacking desire; but against lesser teams, we need to be in the ascendancy

Part of me agrees with this but the flip side of the coin is against Leicester one of our big problems was winning 2nd balls and 3rd balls

The midfield was virtually non-existent in this regard and its a major major part of football particularly in a midfield battle

[Lecter]

This.
We lost nearly every second ball in the second half and Leicester dominated the midfield. No idea where that came from as the first twenty minutes we looked assured and well on top and in control.
I'm not one to knock Henderson - I think he's been very good at times last season - but we did look totally different when Keita came on. Urgency, pushing forward, finding a man, going forward... all started to happen again with the introduction of him and Shaq.

Hoping it's just an off day at the office for the lads, winning when playing mediocre is a great thing. We'd have dropped two points with that effort last season...

Yep 2nd balls always very important its been an underlying issue at times for us on and off for a few years now

[Tribute]

Yep 2nd balls always very important its been an underlying issue at times for us on and off for a few years now

...that was always the idea of the high press to win back possession quickly and win the majority of second balls - immediately piles on the pressure to the opposition.

Our heads definitely seem to drop when we get that done to us - and as you say, over the last 2 or 3 years, we've seemingly not been able to snap out of it quick enough in games. Hoping the steel we're starting to see in the team (and squad) will start to pay dividends for us this season...

[kubrickscube]

Have we done the piece he wrote on The Player’s Tribune? I know it’s old. Good read though.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/global/articles/alisson-becker-this-is-for-my-brother

[dom9]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/sep/28/liverpool-alisson-goalkeeper-hollywood-saves-chelsea-football

Liverpool’s Alisson: ‘My saves are not to show off for the camera’
Andy Hunter

Liverpool’s £65m goalkeeper goes up against Chelsea’s £71.6m Kepa Arrizabalaga on Saturday but the Brazilian is not bothered about his price tag and happy with his move to Anfield

Absurd and crazy are the words Alisson chooses to describe his £65m transfer fee. In the end the Brazilian was the most expensive goalkeeper on the planet for all of 20 days before Chelsea invested an extra £6.6m in Kepa Arrizabalaga, ensuring there will be £136.6m worth of talent between the posts at Stamford Bridge when the title contenders renew hostilities on Saturday. Alisson’s description of his price tag does not reflect unease, however. As the younger brother of a professional goalkeeper, the son of parents who kept goal for the works football team and the school handball team and the great-grandson of an amateur league goalkeeper in his hometown of Novo Hamburgo, there is satisfaction at what this summer’s transfer market symbolises for his trade. It is the price of turning hope into expectation at Liverpool.

“When I went up from the youth team to the first team at Internacional it was a risk – they were almost betting on me making it,” says Alisson, who gives long, considered answers to every question he faces in an executive lounge at Anfield. “Similarly when I went to Roma from Brazil there was an element of risk in that move too but when Liverpool signed me there was a lot more certainty about it. I appreciate some people think that it’s a crazy, absurd amount of money, I understand that, but what is more important for me is the expectation that is placed on me. I’m coming off the best season I’ve ever had and I’m hoping to do even better this season. During that period I was the most expensive goalkeeper in the world and that was quickly followed by Chelsea signing Kepa. I’m calm about it. I’ve always worked really hard and I’ll continue working the same way whatever the size of the transfer fee.


“But things have definitely changed recently. There is an increasing demand of goalkeepers in world football. It is not just the technical qualities they need but the leadership qualities and communication skills to help out the team. These are all characteristics I believe I possess. Goalkeeper is a very influential position and that is becoming recognised now. If you think about it, any error that we make can be fatal for the team. It can lead to a goal and cause a defeat. I am really happy with the increased recognition that goalkeepers are getting now. I’m glad to be a leading part of that.”

Talking of errors – well, he mentioned it first – Alisson experienced the intense scrutiny that falls on a Liverpool keeper irrespective of price after being dispossessed by Kelechi Iheanacho for Leicester City’s consolation in the 2-1 win this month. The mistake was not costly but a lesson. There was a time when the Brazil international would have shut himself away following such a slip. Experience has taught him to be philosophical.

“I am more mature today so I deal better with the mistakes than the many times when I locked myself away in my room and wanted to be alone,” he says laughing. “But if you look at my professional history as a goalkeeper I’m not somebody who makes many mistakes. My game is characterised by consistency and that is what has brought me to Liverpool and helped me develop. I like to make simple saves. I don’t make saves for the camera. If the ball is in front of me I won’t dive. If it’s to the side of me I will dive to the side. I like to keep it simple. My saves are not to show off or Hollywood saves for the camera. I am working on playing with my feet so I take risks with the ball at my feet because I am waiting for options. I am waiting for the centre-backs to produce an option, I’m waiting for the full-backs to appear as well; hoping that a space for a pass will appear at the last moment.

“That’s what happened in the Leicester game. I was waiting for that option of a pass, leaving it very late for the option to appear. In that situation, though, I was left with the only option which was to dribble and the ball held up in the grass. If it hadn’t held up in the grass I think it would have been a successful dribble.

“I was pushed from behind as well, and that was a real learning curve for me about the Premier League. Here the referees maybe don’t call the fouls that you would expect to get in other leagues. Things are different here to other countries and I’ve learned that I can’t wait for the referee or expect the referee to call the foul. Today I will take less risks and when the options aren’t appearing I will clear it into the stands or play a long ball up front.

“The secret of the wise man is to learn from the errors of others. Unfortunately in the Leicester game it was my error. I do take some risks and leave it late to play the ball but I’ll stop taking these risks in the Premier League because of the different style of play, the physicality and the different refereeing styles.”

Alisson has found Liverpool to be everything he hoped it would be, and more, after speaking to Philippe Coutinho about a potential move before the World Cup. Coutinho was in the same Brazil Under-17 squad as Alisson when the goalkeeper was first called up for international duty. “He spoke highly of Jürgen [Klopp] and about the players,” Alisson says. “He said there is no vanity in the squad but it’s a very ambitious squad with a strong desire to win. Coutinho also said he was very happy here with his family, which is really important. Our wives spoke to each other too and they said they had a great time living here, and we are very happy.”

Alisson’s first experience of Anfield also made a deep impression, when on the receiving end of a 5-2 defeat with Roma in last season’s Champions League semi-final first leg. “It was a very influential and significant experience for me. The game was unexpected. We expected to get a victory. What was lacking in my team was we didn’t give due respect to Liverpool. We thought we would pressure Liverpool and go toe-to-toe with them at Anfield. As we know, that didn’t happen.

“The atmosphere I experienced here contributed to my decision to sign. There was also the way the Liverpool team played. It’s not dependent upon one player, it’s a real group effort. It’s a team that plays with love and passion.”

[baitman]

What a guy, proper beef

[Reece]

Your obsession with "beef" is really really weird.

[baitman]

wearing pink, ffs... sell.