Liverpool: Five AS Roma players that the Reds will need to watch

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ROME, ITALY – APRIL 10: Alisson Becker of AS Roma during the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final second leg between AS Roma and FC Barcelona at Stadio Olimpico on April 10, 2018 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

1. Alisson Becker

The Brazilian shot-stopper has been linked to the Reds as of late after superb season for Roma. It says a lot about him that, despite Ederson’s success in the Premier League at Manchester City, Alisson is still Tite’s preferred goalkeeper in the Brazilian national team.

Alisson is a goalkeeper with excellent reflexes, making 3.2 saves per game. For comparison, Loris Karius makes 1.6 saves per game, while Simon Mignolet makes 1.8 saves a game.

It’s true that all three goalkeepers play under different circumstances, but Alisson also averages 3.42 saves per league goal, compared to Karius’ 1.82 and Mignolet’s abysmal 1.21, according to Squawka. This is a number comparable to David de Gea’s, who is widely considered the best Premier League goalkeeper.

Additionally, Alisson is a calm distributor. He’s poised and collected with the ball at his feet, able to pick out passes such as these. He’s also comfortable coming off his line quickly, something which he might need to do against Liverpool with the likes of Mo Salah and Sadio Mané who love getting in behind center backs.

To get past Alisson, the Reds will need to be at their most clinical.

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