Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on goalkeeper Alisson Becker after the Brazilian made a string of impressive saves during the club’s 1-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League. The Reds had come into the game in a must-win situation and they had to sweat it out for the victory after holding onto a slender advantage for vast parts of the game.
Speaking after the match, Klopp was full of praise for Alisson, who made numerous saves including one during the dying stages which ensured the club’s progress into the knockouts, he said: “If I knew Alisson was this good I would have paid double. It was not only one save. He had a lot of things to do tonight.
“How cool and calm he was with the ball helps us a lot in our buildup situations. When he comes out for crosses he is outstanding. And, yes, that save was just incredible. The game was outstanding, unbelievable. The boys played with their whole hearts on the pitch. Our offensive defending, our offensive pressing was some of the best I’ve ever saw.”
Liverpool paid a sum of around £67m to prise Alisson away from Roma during the summer after Klopp witnessed some shambolic keeping from Loris Karius during the Champions League final against Real Madrid last season. Since then, the Brazilian has lived up to the expectations with a number of standout performances with the sole notable mistake coming against Leicester City, where he conceded needlessly trying to pass the ball within the box.
Alisson is currently leading the Premier League clean sheet charts with 10 this term and he has the chance to better the statistic when Manchester United make the trip to Anfield this weekend. The Reds are winless against their Mancunian counterparts in the top-flight since 2014.
