The position of goalkeeper at Liverpool has been one that has certainly been marred with controversy in the last few years. Since Loris Karius essentially gifted Karim Benzema a Champions League title the team has been looking for a consistent answer in goal. With the arrival of Alisson Becker it seemed that Liverpool’s goalkeeper problems had been solved. For a while it could be said that Alisson was in the conversation for the top goalkeeper in the world. However, the only thing that has been consistent for Alisson in the last few seasons have been injurieries. This has led Jurgen Klopp to have to scramble to find a goalkeeper Liverpool fans can trust to be between the sticks on a weekly basis.
It’s not just the goalkeeper at Liverpool that has been a spot riddled with injuries. There is no question that the injury to Virgil van Dijk has made the back line look much less solid than it had in previous years when the team was able to compete at the highest levels in all competitions. Speaking of competing in a wide variety of tournaments that’s also something that essentially has taken a toll on the reds. It seems that the roster is a bit thin. Especially if you are a team hoping to take home more than one trophy this season.
When it comes to goalkeeper Liverpool could be looking to sing at least a backup in the upcoming summer break. Unless they feel that they have the answer for the future somewhere on the bench. There are other factors that could come into play as to why they may be reluctant to make a singing over the summer. I’m going to explore the current situation for goalkeeper at Liverpool and then venture into what we could potentially see in next year’s squad and even beyond that.
Goalkeeper Liverpool 2021 : Alisson Becker
Alisson has the potential to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He’s shown that through dominant seasons at both at Roma and Liverpool. Of course, at the international level he’s also been a mainstay for Brazil in the last few years. Even though, he’s had to fight off competition from Manchester City’s Ederson for the number one shirt in Brazil. What does Alisson bring to the table? He is one of the best goalkeepers between the sticks. The size and the soft hands are very much on display when you see him play. Maybe not the most spectacular of shot blockers, but you’ll rarely find him out of position.
Positioning is without a doubt one of the most important parts of goalkeeping. He boasts 20 sweeper clearances in his Premier League outings this year. Something that paints a picture that not all of us directly associate with Alisson. That ability to be able to play with his feet and come off the line to participate in the game. Again, for me one of the things that stands out about Alisson is his positioning and how easy he makes everything look. Are you going to see him make the circus catches that we see some of the other top goalkeepers of the era make? Probably not, but he won’t typically doesn’t give up Karius like goals often. Although the Premier League stats page credits him with 3 direct errors leading to a goal.
When you look at the numbers it’s hard to argue that Alisson is and should be the number one at Liverpool moving forward. In his first 90 games with the team he has only suffered 11 losses. These are things that you really can’t make up. The problem has been his inability to stay on the field. When I wrote the best goalkeeper in the Premier League article, he was out with an injury. I mentioned the fact that he hasn’t been able to really complete a full season in a while. This has led to a bit of musical chairs for Liverpool when he is not in the line up.
Goalkeeper Liverpool 2021 Backup : Adrian San Miguel
The arrival of Adrian at Liverpool was a bit of a strange one back in 2019. The feel good story indicates that Adrian ended up having to train on his own after being relegated to just a couple of games a year in his final days at West Ham. A product of the Betis youth system Adrian had quite a hard time gaining the starting role in Sevilla. He was essentially only the starting goalkeeper for Real Betis for one year before we made the move to England. He’s certainly a goalkeeper who finished his development years in the Premier League. You can see that in the way that he plays as a between the sticks keeper.
Klopp felt quite safe with Adrian as the second team option behind Alisson. That confidence had been well compensated by Adrian who was key to helping the team win the UEFA Super Cup in 2019. He then had to stand in for Alisson a couple of times in the coming season. Things have come a long way from that UEFA Super Cup when and the chips just don’t seem to fall in favor of Adrian. In his 3 appearances in the Premier League this season he has conceded 9 goals. A 3 goals per game average is certainly not something that you’d expect out of a Liverpool goalkeeper.
The terrible average has led to Klopp looking elsewhere to secure the goal while Alisson has been away due to injury. Adrian is already 34 years old. When you add all of these things up it’s kind of obvious why I’m saying that it could be in Liverpool’s best interest to look elsewhere for a number 2 goalkeeper this summer. When you look at the entire squad though backup goalkeeper may not be a priority. Yet, injuries have certainly hampered Liverpool’s aspirations in the last couple of seasons. In this post covid era it’s going to be interesting to see if management puts down the cash to expand the squad list.
Goalkeeper Liverpool 2021 Third String : Caoimhin Kelleher
I was very much aware of the fact that Caoimhin Kelleher has made a couple of appearances this season with the first team squad in Premier League games. To be honest though, I didn’t feel that the limited knowledge that I had of him would allow me to evaluate his game. So, of course, I turned on the tape and really took a deep dive into the skill set of the young Irishman’s career. There were a couple of things that I would say I really liked. There are a couple of saves that he makes where he’s patient enough to be able to walk down shots. A lot of young goalkeepers want to step and dive on every shot. In reality you want to be able to take pretty much as many steps as you can before you dive. This give you a better shot at making saves.
Another thing that really jumped out at me was the fact that he’s a text book between the sticks keeper. You even see him stepping back towards the end line as the opposing team is closing in towards his goal. I think that at his size you can get away with standing on the end line. It’s not a habit that I would recommend young goalkeepers follow. Even if you’re one of those taller goalkeepers that think you’ll be able to cover most of the goal thanks to your size. To finish the constructive criticism section, I would say I don’t love his ball security and hands sometimes.
Now to the positive side of things. At 22 the difference between the peace of mind that he can bring to Klopp when he’s in goal compared to what you can get from Adrian San Miguel is about the same. There are certain aspects of his game that could certainly use some work. There doesn’t seem to be anything overly special that jumps out about this keeper. Yet, he’s proven he can hold down the fort when Alisson is not in the lineup. The fact that he has gotten Premier League and Champions League minutes this season seems to prove that Klopp has confidence in him.
What The Future Looks Like For Liverpool Moving Forward
With the goalkeepers that are currently on the roster, it would be hard to make a move away from Alisson Becker any time soon. The problem is that injuries have not allowed the Brazilian to return to his best self for at least a year now. Alisson is only 28 for a goalkeeper there is no reason to think that he’s going to be on the decline any time soon. At least, not due to just natural age issues if you will. If he’s had difficulties staying fit, the club should really make an effort to get him to alter his diet and the training regimen.
There is or at least should be a bit competition for that number 2 spot. Klopp felt safe with Adrian for a couple of seasons, but it seems that the strong relationship that they share cannot keep the Spaniard on the spot for much longer. Particularly, when it’s evident that his play on the field is declining. Sadly, the fact that he has not been able to hold down the spot should not be news. There’s a reason why he wasn’t able to keep the starting spot at WestHam. His time at Real Betis, wasn’t exactly overly eventful. It was actually kind of strange that he got picked up to play in the Premier League. This is a perfect example though that you only need one coach to really believe in you to give you a shot.
I would love to see someone like Caoimhin Kelleher step into the role of the full time number two for the upcoming season. I think that some of the deficiencies in his game can be polished out with a bit more playing time. As I mentioned, you’re not getting too many more guarantees from Adrian than you would be from Kelleher. Yet a lot of managers are a bit reluctant to fall back on young blood in goal. Particularly when this young keeper hasn’t shown anything that we would consider extraordinary. I do believe that he has a chance to play a more important role in another up and coming club. Maybe even a League Two side. At 22 he needs to get more games under his belt in high level competition.
