Our Brazilian goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, has become a firm fan favourite at Anfield since arriving from Roma for £65 million in the summer.
Alisson’s arrival solved a perennial issue that had plagued the Reds for years; now, with a confident and reliable stopper, we’ve been able to keep a league-high 17 clean sheets.
But, while speaking to the Liverpool Echo, the No. 1 posited that the lack of massive egos in the dressing room, and a collective team ethic, has been a great boost to our hunt for silverware.
“In football generally there can be a lot of vanity,” Alisson claimed.
“Some players only look to themselves and can be selfish in only focusing on their own interests.
“At this club I don’t see that, I see everyone looking for the same goal and working to achieve it.
“We have our goals and we are fighting for them – to win the league and everything we are playing in, the Champions League as well.
“This is a great team, always focused on the next game and the challenge. We can’t choose what we go for – if we could we would choose both!
“They are two big competitions. Of course in the Premier League it is a long time since Liverpool won it, but we will fight for both.”
This kind of team spirit has always been at Liverpool, but perhaps more so under Jürgen Klopp. The German has fostered a togetherness at the club that is clearly paying dividends.
Alisson’s having a fine season, especially considering that it’s his maiden campaign in the Premier League with us. As it stands, the 26-year-old looks to be a shoo-in for the Golden Glove having conceded only 19 goals in 32 league matches.
Admittedly, our Brazilian goleiro has Virgil van Dijk playing in front of him; but, Alisson is able to take risks and come out for the ball precisely due to the protective presence of the Dutchman.
We’ve kept the most clean sheets in the league – not just because Van Dijk loves them – but because, as a team, we’re now able to play out from the back and distribute the ball more effectively to our attackers.
Next up, we’ve got Southampton on Friday night, followed by Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday!