Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker believes he could be in the best form of his career and that is borne out by the number of times he has come to the team’s rescue already this season.
With Jurgen Klopp’s side struggling for consistency, the Brazil international has been the one reassuring presence and it is not an over-estimation to say they would have been in a far worse predicament had he not been.
Last month he kept four clean sheets in nine appearances, with a penalty save from Jarrod Bowen crucial in the 1-0 win over West Ham.
The 30-year-old has also proved his usefulness in other ways, producing the assist for Mohamed Salah’s match-winning goal against Manchester City.
“It’s really good and something nice when people see how good you are doing on the pitch, as well as to feel I am doing something good to help the team to try to achieve targets,” the goalkeeper told liverpoolfc.com.
“I always try my best in the games to help the team to get the results we want. In a few games we did, but others we didn’t.
“You know how you perform; I am the biggest critic of myself, so when I do something good I know it and I don’t praise myself too much. But when I do something wrong, I don’t go the opposite way either.
“I do try to get better, to improve, even when I either do something good or something not-so-good because that’s the way I try to keep at a high level.”
On whether this was his best form, he added: “So far, it could be.
“I think last season was a really good season for myself. My target is to do at least the same, to keep the same level.
“We are trying to find consistency as a team and, if I can do it only for myself, for me it is not right.
“This moment is no different; not all the results are coming out for us in the end, but this is football and you have to fight, try to fight more and my team-mates are helping me every matchday to be the best I can do.”
We are trying to find consistency as a team and, if I can do it only for myself, for me it is not right— Alisson Becker
Liverpool head to Tottenham on Sunday for a must-win game if they are not to fall even further adrift of the top four.
Back-to-back Premier League defeats to Nottingham Forest and Leeds have been interspersed with Champions League victories over Ajax and the previously unbeaten Serie A leaders Napoli.
Liverpool’s European form – 15 points from six matches – is at odds with their domestic performances (16 from 12) and Klopp admits it is difficult to pinpoint the differences.
“The problem is, to explain wins is really easy. Everybody is in a great mood and smiling, good shape,” he said.
“Explaining when you lose is much more difficult because each word is really important. I don’t have five million different words for it.
“If you want to get out of something you first have to get through it, and that’s where we are.
“It might take time but we don’t say now, ‘Tottenham is too early for us to really show up already.’ No, it’s not.
“It never was before going to Tottenham that I thought, ‘Good moment to face Tottenham, let’s smash them.’
“It’s like a Champions League game in the Premier League, and that’s how we will approach it.”
