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.
