Liverpool may have found their very own David De Gea in Roma's £40m-rated goalkeeper Alisson

Liverpool may have found their very own David De Gea in Roma's £40m-rated goalkeeper Alisson

The Brazilian number one tops many of the stats across Europe and is the perfect shot-stopper for a Jurgen Klopp side

THE goalkeeping situation at Liverpool has reached a critical point. The chance cards handed out to Simon Mignolet seem to have finally ran out. Klopp’s declaration that Loris Karius will be his man from now on begins the phasing out of Mignolet, who, despite his improved reliability since being dropped for the German early last season, will never be suited to a Jurgen Klopp side.

The one remaining problem in all of this is Karius himself. Not so much the solution to a problem, just a different quandary the Liverpool manager doesn’t have time to solve. 

Whilst still victorious in the stern test offered by Manchester City, Sane’s bullet strike left few convinced that Karius was about to plant his flag in the six-yard box. Yes, it was well struck but Karius’s low hand position reduced his chances of saving. By the time he adjusted from a low to neutral position, his next response to save the ball came too late and rendered the cries of “He should never be beaten at his near post.” redundant. No matter where the shot was coming from, it was going through Karius as if he was a gloved-up apparition. Handsome but ineffective.

So where now for Liverpool? Mignolet’s omission in the short-term leads only to a longer-term solution appearing on the horizon and that’s exactly what has happened in the form of Stoke’s Jack Butland and Alisson Becker of Roma. 

Liverpool, however, may find the clubs of both keepers reluctant to part with their assets during a January that sees Stoke mired in a relegation battle and Roma fighting for a Champions League play-off spot. Despite Liverpool’s urgency and affluency, this seems to be the case and as we past the mid-point of the window, it looks increasingly likely a summer deal will be done. 

Both keepers have been pegged as options as Liverpool look to find a keeper that not only matches their style of play but also their ambitions. To do that, they need a keeper who will make the difference in games; their De Gea. Easier said than done, but in Alisson they might just have found the one.

The way Klopp’s Liverpool play has a huge effect on their goalkeeper’s game, giving them much more to contemplate than just defending their goalmouth by handing them the increased responsibility to defend the space in front of them left by their high defensive line too.

Of course, all keepers should be ready to assume this role but a Liverpool keeper is going to have to be prepared to do it more than say Nick Pope at Burnley, whose defenders occupy that space early. 

What Liverpool have been screaming out for is someone who is still effective when left exposed, someone who looks composed outside the safety of their box, some who’s distribution can get the best out of teammates whose strength is exposing teams with quick counter attacks. In essence, someone who does the things that Mignolet and Karius simply don’t do well enough.

Karius was always going to be a slight upgrade on Mignolet but hasn’t shown anything like the composure he did at Mainz and the basic errors in his technique and decision-making lead you to believe the jersey is too big for him to fill.

Too many times in the past, both keeper and defence have looked to each other for help when things aren’t going right and they haven’t been able to dig each other out of a hole. Alisson and Virgil van Dijk can change this. When the defence needs its keeper to take on the responsibility of assertive action, Alisson will and vice versa with Van Dijk.

There are many areas where Alisson excels but his positive starting positions allied with his lightning speed, ensure even if he isn’t there to the ball first, he’s applying pressure on his opponent before they have time to settle.

In isolation, some of his reading of through balls in to his box where he snatches the ball from the striker’s toes look like a risk but the regularity with which he does it makes it less so.

In the situation where the ball is weighted in favour of the strikers he has a similar trait to Ederson, where he advances as the player puts their head down to control the ball or finish. The last picture they saw was of Alisson back towards his line. When they look up again he’s advancing towards them and panics them in to rushed shots, or he has blocked off the goal behind him, so that there’s simply nothing to aim for. He suffocates them of space by being direct and if the player holds their nerve and manages to finish under the pressure, it’s hats off all round to them.

Whilst he may not look as natural on the ball as Ter Stegen (Who does?), Alisson’s distribution numbers are comparable in both completion percentage and accuracy over longer distances. His passes have the ability to break more than just the first line of opposition press and when Liverpool do that with plenty of space in the opposition’s half still to run in to, we know they are devastating.

On top of the missing parts of Liverpool’s goalkeeping jigsaw being found, Alisson is a phenomenal shot-stopper. Yes, shot-stopping is a base requisite but the Brazilian’s aggressive forward momentum when diving helps him cut down his goal and creates a formidable barrier.

At this moment, he is outperforming everyone and there will be strong competition for him come the summer and Liverpool will hope it doesn’t come from Madrid or Paris if they make their move.

The answer to anyone’s goalkeeping prayers will either be Jan Oblak or perhaps Gianluigi Donnarumma. But for the next best thing, for far less money, Alisson is Liverpool’s man.

Do you want to be informed about bookmakers' latest promotions? Click  and subscribe!