The beard, it transpired, was not the source of Alisson’s powers. Freshly shaven, the goalkeeper allied a new look with familiar excellence on Saturday, a hat-trick of second-half saves ensuring there was no comeback from Southampton. He was praised by a defensive ally – “Alisson was outstanding again,” said Virgil van Dijk – and mocked. “I said to him, ‘You look like an American guy’, just a random guy,” the Dutchman explained.
It was said with affection. Alisson goes to the World Cup as, in Van Dijk’s opinion, the best goalkeeper on the planet. They both head to Qatar as the constants in Liverpool’s inconsistent campaign, the only two men to play every minute in the Premier League. Go on form and Alisson has been the player of Liverpool’s season so far. Look at the narrative of the last three months and Darwin Nunez has been a hugely symbolic figure. Harvey Elliott has actually been the unexpected ever-present, the only footballer to figure in all 22 matches, from Community Shield to Carabao Cup. If that tells a tale in itself, in a sense this has been the season of Stefan Bajcetic.
