Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg has backed Alisson to issue an instant reminder of his quality following a rare mistake from the Brazilian in Tuesday’s defeat by Real Madrid.
The Reds’ No.1 hopelessly watched on as his attempted pass in the direction of Joe Gomez bounced off the relentless Vinicius Jr and looped into the goal. Alisson’s opposite number Thibaut Courtois suffered a similar fate 22 minutes earlier in the match, miscontrolling the ball as Mohamed Salah pounced to score.
Errors of this nature were certainly out of character from two individuals who arguably represent the two finest shot-stoppers in Europe, but Liverpool require no reminding blunders in a Champions League meeting against Carlo Ancelotti’s side are possible.
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“As a goalkeeper, it can always happen,” Achterberg exclusively told the ECHO when reflecting on Liverpool’s European loss. “It was a high-intensity game with high-quality players, who were closing the keepers down quickly. You must make split-second decisions in such situations. You don’t want mistakes to happen, but unfortunately that’s part of the game."
“He is one of the best, if not the best, goalkeepers around,” continued Achterberg on Alisson. “Even they have a mistake in them sometimes. That’s part of football; there is no goalie who makes no mistakes. Ali is pretty good, consistent and one of the standout players in the team at present. It’s a shame it happened in this game but we must focus on the next game. Ali will deal with it like a quality keeper and be ready for the Saturday.
“Alisson is a bit too much in the spotlight because we have conceded too many chances due to injuries. It means you can’t play the same as we want to and he’s therefore had more saves to make than the last few years. It’s part of his job to make saves and he has been showing how good he is. We are happy for him on that side, but he would rather not have many saves to make and to win every game – like we all want.”
Alisson alone cannot be held responsible for the way in which Jurgen Klopp’s side imploded at Anfield versus the reigning European champions, for this was another performance where heads dropped and concentration lapsed among outfield players.
As someone who joined the club in 2009, initially to oversee the reserve goalkeeping department, Achterberg has witnessed the gradual rise of the Reds kick-started by Brendan Rodgers and carried forward by Klopp. Attempting to explain what is causing the current struggles of the side is something the ex-Tranmere Rovers goalkeeper cannot pinpoint, though the Dutchman has stressed he and the rest of the coaching staff are working tirelessly in a bid to avoid fingers being pointed in the direction of Klopp.
“Sometimes it’s hard to put your finger on it,” said the 51-year-old in respect of why Liverpool have seemingly lost their identity. “The boys had the intensity on Tuesday and showed what the plan was: 2-0 and we had a good chance to make it three. Unfortunately, you concede a goal and at half-time it’s 2-2. Sometimes you cannot turn it. Conceding very quickly after half-time was a little bit of a downer and we probably didn’t get it going again. The boys had the right mentality and they wanted to carry on like we played in the first 20 minutes.
“All the coaches and all the people in the club are behind the boss. We help him with everything we have. We all want to win and hopefully we can finish the season well. We are all positive guys and we want to do the best for the team. We all need to stick together when it’s good and if it goes a little bit less good, you try to keep the motivation there with the players and keep working hard. Hopefully we can put it right, that is the main aim.”
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