These past few seasons probably haven’t gone as Liverpool would have planned.
Yes, this campaign has been far better, in terms of challenging for the Premier League title, but there will be a sense of disappointment in Liverpool’s recent results and performances.
But the previous campaign was the biggest disappointment because it resulted in the team finishing outside the Champions League places.
And now it means that Jurgen Klopp’s departure will go without the team having one more shot at Europe’s biggest prize under their legendary manager.
Throughout this period, the form of senior players has dipped resulting in the team’s slide.
For some, such as Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, it resulted in a one-way ticket out of Anfield and to Saudi Arabia – although, the latter is now at Ajax.
Others, such as Virgil van Dijk, have seen that form return, but one man has remained consistent throughout this period – Alisson Becker.
Leroy Rosenior has lauded the Liverpool goalkeeper and how he has been ‘absolutely immense’ for the club, as he told Premier League Productions (22/04/24 at 5:45 pm).
One of Alisson’s standout features is his ability in one-v-one situations. He could argue that he is the best in the world at it.
Rosenior added that the Brazil star is so good that the opposition players feel uneasy, there is a sense of ‘anxiety’ and ‘indecision’ when they are running through on goal.
Liverpool’s number one Alisson Becker
“He’s absolutely immense,” said Rosenior. “He also said you can make a save without making a save because he gets his position absolutely right.
“You look up and think ‘I can’t see any of the goal’ because his position is absolutely right. It puts that anxiety and indecision on the forward, and invariably, they miss.
“You have got to remember where Liverpool were when he went into the football club. They were almost at their lowest ebb. I know it sounds weird, but after a Champions League final and the performance of Karius, there was no trust in Liverpool goalkeepers. He comes in, and we talk about van Dijk going into the club, but he was the key. It was screaming out for a goalkeeper. But to get someone of his calibre, for me, he is the best Premier League goalkeeper.”
Alisson Becker’s importance
When the new Liverpool manager comes in, you sense that life isn’t going to be as easy as he would want it to be, even though this is a strong squad.
Whilst many focus on the team currently missing a lot of chances, it also needs to be noted that Alisson is doing too much work and that the backline needs protecting a lot more.
If that continues next season with the new manager – there is talk of Jose Mourinho by a certain Graeme Souness – then Alisson will need to pull out those 10/10 performances again.
Either way, he is going to be one of the most important players to help his new manager settle in, especially if Mohamed Salah heads to Saudi Arabia.