FITS LIVERPOOL CULTURE LIKE A HAND IN GLOVE KEEPING FLAME LIT
Reds’ goalkeeping coach believes Caoimhín should be first choice for Ireland
“His training levels are always so high and we can see the goalkeepers here are learning from each other.
“He has a great friend to train with in Ali and we do what we need to do to prepare for everything that is coming their way.
“Also, I have to say Caoimh is an unbelievable guy. He is humble and is a great person to work with.”
Kelleher has now played 43 first-team games for Liverpool and while that is a relatively modest total for a 25-year-old footballer, the quality of the environment he has been in since his arrival at the club’s Academy in 2015 has allowed him to take his game to the elite level.
The kid who put Ringmahon Rangers FC on the football map as he emerged through their set-up and secured a dream move to one of England’s true giants is now a mature performer who has impressed after starting the last ten games for Liverpool in the absence of the injured Alisson.
“He has always done well when he played, but now he is getting a chance to show it on a regular basis,” continued Dutchman Achterberg, who was a fine keeper himself in a career that saw him star for Merseyside club Tranmere Rovers.
“It’s difficult if you play a League Cup game and then don’t play for two or three weeks, as you can’t get into a rhythm.
“The reality is you need two good goalies to have a chance to win something and I believe we have the best goalkeeper line-up in the history of Liverpool right now.
“I was speaking to Caoimh three or four years ago and told him that he was already better than David de Gea.
“The only difference was De Gea was playing every week and he was getting a chance to show it.
LAUGHING
“I think Caoimh was laughing about it when I made that comment, but I always believed in him and it was just a case of him showing it day in, day out.
“For a long time now, I would say he is as good as anyone in the game, but the problem here is he had one of, or maybe the best, goalie in the world ahead of him.
“The standards we set for our goalkeepers are so high because this is what you need to have if you are at a top club.”
Kelleher’s run in the Liverpool first team is set to continue as Alisson is not expected to return immediately after the international break, with Achterberg suggesting he is now ready to take over from Gavin Bazunu as Ireland’s first choice keeper.
“Hopefully he gets the chance to show he can be the No 1 with Ireland,” added Achterberg.
“Obviously, when he was just playing the League Cup, it may not have been enough for the Ireland manager to pick him for big games.
“Then in the last few weeks, we can see what he is capable of doing consistently when he has been the No 1 for us and he needs to take his chances when they come with Ireland.
“It’s not in my hands whether he is the Ireland No 1 from now on, but I know what I would do if I was making that selection.”
In an era when Irish kids may fear the dream of lining out for the world’s biggest clubs has never been more distant, Kelleher’s success story could not have been more timely.
LIVERPOOL’S backroom staff were given no indication that Jurgen Klopp would step down as manager this summer until he made the shock announcement in January.
Keeping a story of that magnitude under wraps is an almost impossible challenge in a modern world where leaks are inevitable and social media rumours gather momentum.
Yet Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg has confirmed he had no hint that Klopp was preparing to leave until he broke the news to the squad on a cold Friday morning at the club’s AXA Training Ground.
“No one knew it was coming. We were all in the same boat as the fans and the media,” stated Achterberg.
“It was a shock to the system when he made the announcement, but we all have to keep doing our jobs and get
the results in.
WINNING
“Whatever is happening off the field, you have keep winning when you are at a club like Liverpool.
“It was a shock. I get that, but we have to get on with it. Hopefully we make the season finish in a good way.”
Klopp’s exit has left Achterberg questioning whether his 15 years as Liverpool’s goalkeeper coach may also come to an end this summer and he looked back on some cherished memories from his time at the club.
“I have been here for 15 years now and when I look back there are so many memories,” he reflected.
“Winning everything there is to win in football is a pretty special feeling and we have done that since this manager came in.
“Hopefully I am here next season, but you never know what happens when a different manager comes along.”