Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised goalkeeper Alisson Becker for “making difficult things look easy”.
The Brazil international has kept nine clean sheets in his last 10 appearances – conceding his last Premier League goal on November 23 at Crystal Palace – and even claimed an assist for Mohamed Salah’s goal in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Manchester United.
Alisson celebrated with a 100-yard sprint downfield to be the first to congratulate the Egyptian after showcasing another element to his game.
Klopp has been delighted with how the £65million signing has developed since arriving in the summer of 2018.
“As a goalkeeper we knew what we would get. Yes he made steps, which is normal. As a person he has exceeded the expectation, he is an outstanding guy,” said the manager.
“We have a lot of really good guys but he is a very special person and that’s great from that point of view.
“His character, how calm he is, helps us a lot. His goalkeeper techniques improve and improve, making difficult things look easy but he has to stay like this.
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“As a goalkeeper you make a mistake and the ball is in the goal, that is the life of a goalkeeper.
“I know Ali doesn’t take it for granted so I don’t take it for granted. A fantastic boy and a fantastic goalkeeper.”
On the assist for Salah, which saw the goalkeeper spot the space in front of his team-mate for a counter-attack and execute the pass perfectly, Klopp added: “They know each other longer than we know them as they played together at Rome.
“From the first day Mo has been asking for these balls and Ali wants to play these balls but you don’t have a lot of opportunity to do so, especially with that outcome as usually your opponent is in a different protective formation.”
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, left, celebrates his side’s second goal of the game with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson (Martin Rickett/PA)
Liverpool head to Wolves on Thursday looking for the first of 10 more wins they need to guarantee a first title in 30 years, before going to League One Shrewsbury on Sunday in the FA Cup.
And with the Champions League set to restart next month Klopp has no intention of allowing any player to leave in what remains of the transfer window.
Sevilla and Roma made tentative approaches for a loan deal for Xherdan Shaqiri, who is currently not fit, but the Reds boss said the plan was for no-one to leave.
“We had the majority of December and January a bench full of kids. Wonderful kids but kids so how could we think about giving a player to anyone? I don’t understand that,” Klopp added.
“It’s not about Shaq, it’s pretty much everybody. We just have to keep them for sorting our situation and not the situation for different clubs.
“If someone came around the corner and asked properly… but that didn’t happen.
“Maybe they are desperate, whatever, and we think but there is absolutely no intention from our side to do anything.”
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