£65m saviour Alisson so precious
ALISSON’S late save against Napoli might not have been one of his greatest – but it could end up being the most important of Liverpool’s season.
There was little doubt that from the moment Loris Karius gift-wrapped the Champions League trophy to Real Madrid last May, Jurgen Klopp was seeking a new No.1.
And Tuesday night provided yet more evidence of why the Reds were right to splash out a whopping £65m – then a world record for a goalkeeper – to sign Alisson from Roma in the summer.
In keeping Liverpool in the hat for the Champions League knockout stages, he has already made a significant payment back on the investment.
With £2.36m for the win over Napoli and a guaranteed extra £8.31m for reaching the last16, Alisson’s block from Arkadiusz Milik could be described as an £11m save.
There have been arguments that Milik’s shot was straight at the Brazilian shot-stopper.
But the skill was in how Alisson spread himself and jumped on the Napoli attacker to limit his angle and force him into a snap shot.
If Milik had scored in the 92nd minute, then suddenly the outlook of the Reds’ season would have changed. They would have been heading into the second half of the season juggling a Premier League title challenge with a tiresome Europa League campaign.
Granted it might not have been as good as his stunning late save at Burnley last week or his reflex stop to deny Andre Gomes in this month’s Merseyside derby.
But it was the timing, and how he stepped up at a late stage when a goal would have changed so much, that underlined the sweeper -keeper’s importance.
Trust
“That’s why he’s a goalkeeper, to save it,” said midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, with a smile.
Wijnaldum, however, knows the significance of having a keeper behind him that the whole team can trust.
Alisson has kept 10 Premier League clean sheets, and 12 in total, since his arrival.
No top-flight keeper, including fellow countryman Ederson at Manchester City or Chelsea’s £71m world record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga, boasts more.
Besides being caught trying to dribble out of trouble by Leicester striker Kelechi Iheanacho in September – which led to a goal in Liverpool’s 2-1 win – Alisson’s stay at Anfield has been error-free.
“He does it almost every match – someone is through on goal and you think they are going to score and then Ali is there to make a save,” said Wijnaldum.
“Until now he has helped us a lot and I hope he can keep that form until the end of the season and continue making important saves.
“He gives us confidence. For example the one against Everton. If that had gone in, no one would have blamed him, but he saved it. Again against Napoli, it was really difficult to save the ball, but he managed to stop it.”
For now, the focus returns to the Premier League as the Anfield side look to stay top by beating bitter rivals Manchester United on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho’s men are a whopping 16 points behind Klopp’s side heading into their first meeting this season.
“Things can happen, everyone can have a bad season,” added Wijnaldum.
“I think the year before I came, Liverpool finished eighth, so those things can happen.
“That does not mean they are not a good team with good players. It is going to be difficult.”