Klopp defends showboating goalkeeper Alisson
LONDON: Jurgen Klopp branded goalkeeper Alisson “not cool” for a moment of audacious skill as Liverpool moved provisionally top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Brighton, although the Anfield manager quickly forgave his Brazilian star.
Alisson chipped the ball over the head of Brighton’s Anthony Knockaert late in a slightly nervous victory that took Klopp’s side to the summit for the first time since November 2016.
It was a bold move and one which, given the disaster that befell his predecessor Loris Karius in the Champions League Final in May, had a few Liverpool supporters gasping anxiously.
But the Brazilian, signed for a then world record fee for a goalkeeper of £65 million (RM341 million) from Roma this summer, played a perfect pass to Virgil van Dijk, clearing up the danger and drawing huge cheers from the home supporters.
Alisson also made a stunning late save from Pascal Gross that ensured Mohamed Salah’s firsthalf goal was enough to earn a third straight win — and third consecutive clean sheet — for Liverpool, with Klopp admitting he was more in favour of that than his skill on the ball.
“That’s not too cool for a manager, but it worked so then it’s cool,” said Klopp. “I’ve had a few centre-halves who were able to do things centre-halves should not be able to do — like Mats Hummels — and now I have Alisson. He is a goalkeeper but he can obviously play football, which is good.”
Klopp said the confident Brazilian was not showing off but reacting to the situation.
“He will give more and more confidence, and he has a nice level of confidence himself as well,” he said.
“But I liked the save more than the chip, although the chip was the right thing to do in that situation so that’s fine.”
Alisson’s eventful afternoon came on the day that Karius’s two-season loan move to Turkish side Besiktas was confirmed.
• RUSSIAN billionaire Roman Abramovich has hired an investment bank to consider the sale of his club Chelsea, the Sunday Times newspaper reported.
The newspaper said the move by the Russian followed his rejection of an offer to buy a minority stake in the club by U.S. private equity firm Silver Lake Partners.
Chelsea’s directors have brought in Joe Ravitch from the Raine Group, a bank that specialises in sport and technology, the newspaper said without citing its sources.
The source at Chelsea, who declined to be identified, said: “The club is not for sale. The owner is not thinking of selling the club.”
Separately, a spokesman for Abramovich in Moscow declined to comment on “market speculation.”
Raine Group did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.