Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James tells FFT why the Brazilian is so important, and why it's no longer just about clean sheets
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Liverpool’s title challenge is in the safest of hands – with Alisson potentially holding the key to the Anfield side breaking Manchester City’s monopoly on the Premier League title.
That’s the view of former Reds and England goalkeeper David James, whose former clubs Liverpool, City and Aston Villa occupy three of the top four places in another compelling top flight season.
Alisson returned to the Liverpool side for last weekend’s clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and was in inspired form after a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.
In his absence, Liverpool’s defence had shipped three against Fulham in a seven-goal thriller on Merseyside. Alisson, in contrast, kept Jurgen Klopp’s side in the game at times in South London – and laid the foundations for a comeback in a match that was eventually settled by a late Harvey Elliott strike.
That win sent Liverpool to the top of the table, and James believes that keeping Alisson fit for the remainder of the campaign will be crucial if they’re to stay there.
“When you look at Alisson at Crystal Palace, he pulled off some big, big saves to keep Liverpool in the game and that’s something he’s been doing for the last three seasons,” says the 53-year-old, speaking on behalf of instantcasino.com.
“He comes up with big saves at important times in the game to allow Liverpool to go on and win the match.
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David James played for Liverpool between 1992 and 1999 (Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Allsport/Getty Images)
“Caoimhin Kelleher has been there for a while, but he’s lacking regular appearances. I think for the future Kelleher will suit Liverpool, absolutely. He’s proved himself in cup finals, let alone in the Premier League games.
“But ultimately you want your best goalkeeper in Alisson, given the demands of playing in that Liverpool side. What we saw at Crystal Palace is what we’ve seen numerous times over the last three years, where Alisson has been called on early in games at 0-0 to show his qualities.
“The way they play the high line, he comes out and he's probably the best in the Premier League in one v one situations. As good as Kelleher is, he's not at Alisson’s level just yet.
"Injury concerns and keeping him fit would be the main issue for Liverpool. What happened the other week is something they wouldn't want to repeat, for sure.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
It’s not just Liverpool’s goalkeeper who’s likely to play a key role in the eventual destination of the title. Ederson at Manchester City and Emiliano Martinez at Aston Villa are also critical – the situation is slightly more confused at Arsenal, where David Raya is the man in possession, with Aaron Ramsdale kicking his heels on the bench, but neither has convinced totally at times this season.
“The keepers are going to be pivotal to the outcome of the title race,” says James. “Ederson is another keeper who’s been in really good form, even if the clean sheets aren’t reflecting that – he’s a player who is a big influence on City. Yes, they’ve been a bit indifferent results-wise but I think his performances have still been top drawer.
“The one anomaly at the moment would be Arsenal, in the sense that Raya hasn’t been the outstanding performer, but his team have been able to win, get the result and keep that title race well and truly alive.”
Where the trophy eventually resides come May is still anyone’s guess. In some ways the former Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa keeper can’t lose. Unless Arsenal upset the odds.
He believes, though, that this season has perfectly illustrated the changing nature of goalkeeping, with clean sheets now secondary to the impact they have on the way their team play the game.
“What I’ve found interesting about this season, more so than in others, is the lower number of clean sheets that are being kept by keepers,” he says. “Six clean sheets is the best any club has got after 16 games.
“That seems like not many. We’re used to having teams with seven, eight, nine or 10 at this stage of the season. I think the idea of goalkeepers having to keep clean sheets to define whether they're good or not is actually becoming slightly secondary to their impact on the game.”
