The vital importance of Alisson Becker

Liverpool are through to the last 16 of the Champions League thanks to the brilliance of goalkeeper Alisson Becker. This is why he’s so important.

On a frigid and gusty evening in the legendary home of the Reds, two clubs were brimming with hope and apprehension. The objective that night was joining the rest of European football royalty in the advanced stages of the Champions League.

Anfield and the Liverpool faithful have witnessed an innumerable amount of the extraordinary on the grand European stage. The 11th of December 2018 was yet another of these mystical moments.

The Reds needed either a plain and simple 1-0 victory, or to find a way to win by a margin of two clear goals. A task that is not easily accomplished by the best of teams.

No less against an excellent Napoli squad rife with a ravishing attack, a sturdy defence and a brilliant football mind in the manager’s box.

This match set even the most even-keeled supporters to the brink with anxiety.

Liverpool claimed an early lead on a Mohamed Salah goal, however, they either needed to blank the dangerous Napoli or score two more goals to secure victory.

After two glorious opportunities being ever so slightly missed by the explosive Salah, Reds fans moved to the edge of their seat. It was squeaky bum time.

Then the game, and quite possibly season, defining moment arrived. Well into stoppage time, Napoli had possession and were attacking.

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A long and high cross was unfurled beyond the reach of the heads of Reds’ defenders, landing squarely within the reach of Arkadiusz Milik.

Alisson was forced to fling himself in a desperate, sprawling attempt to stop the ball from beating him. He was successful due to his brilliant instincts and athleticism. His heroic display was of great relief to his teammates, who momentarily had their hopes crushed.

This moment may not have won any trophies, however, it will live long in the memory of football fans. Therefore, it should be savoured and reflected upon by Reds’ supporters.

This is just the most recent display of the true brilliance of the Brazilian, who has added an incredible presence in the back as well reliable distribution of the ball.

The former Roma Star is depended on so vastly by Klopp that he is the only man for the job. Not every goalkeeper can play this role, as he is deeply involved in the attack as well.

Whether you are looking at Alisson’s quick analysis of the pitch and delivery of the ball well, up the pitch or his leadership qualities. An example of the former was in Anfield against Fulham, Alisson realized he had free players up the pitch, so he delivered a long ball before the defenders took notice, resulting in a goal.

Another instance of brilliance sealed the game at Turf Moor, as Alisson quickly got the ball to Daniel Sturridge, who got it to Salah awho passed it to Xherran Shaqiri who scored a goal which sealed the game.

He’s also an excellent leader – an example being within the waning minutes of the Merseyside Derby.

As Richarlison was attempting to waste the remainder of the time by provoking his opponents, the ever-award Alisson came running over to settle his players and get the ball down-pitch to have one last shot of scoring. His brilliant saves against Andre Gomes and Theo Walcott also laid the foundations for victory.

These are obvious examples of Alisson’s contributions, but he is just so immensely reliable that the squad can trust him completely. This is how the squad can function so smoothly.

The former Serie A star has registered ten clean sheets out of sixteen Premier League matches and has only conceded six goals. The number of goals conceded is lower than the number of clean sheets, a sheerly stunning stat.

It is obvious that such a vital cog in the machine of Liverpool and is worth every bit of his massive transfer fee.