Alisson relishing rivalries with club and country

The Brazil goalkeeper has made an assured start to life at Liverpool since signing from AS Roma in the summer, conceding only five goals in his opening 11 Premier League games.

Alisson’s contributions have helped the Reds navigate those fixtures without defeat – and yet the standard of the division means they sit third behind Manchester City and Chelsea.

The No.13 has compatriots at both sides, and others in the league too, and the healthy rivalry that exists between them at domestic and international level is a motivation for the stopper.

“When we’re on national duty we’re teammates, but obviously we talk about [the Premier League race],” Alisson explained to Goal.com.

“This rivalry is important so everyone can grow, so it’s also important for the Brazilian national team. We play in the highest level in the Premier League, so keeping this high level of competition is key.

“We talk, sure, and we know hard the race for the title is going to be. But we know we can do it. It isn’t easy, but we’ll keep up our good work and look to improve every time.”

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Alisson’s ability in possession was a chief part of his appeal to Liverpool when they swooped to recruit him from Serie A for the new campaign.

And, having learned from a self-confessed error at Leicester City earlier in the season, the 26-year-old is determined to be a useful outlet for his teammates whenever needed.

“I believe that [good] footwork adds something extra to a goalkeeper but a goalkeeper first needs to defend, to have good positioning,” he said.

“Then, after that, he can help the team carrying the ball, which is something I have always enjoyed doing ever since I began my career back at Internacional.

“Here, in Europe, I could do it more because of the style of the teams in which I’ve played. Liverpool are a team which works the ball from the back, so it’s important that the goalkeeper can also be part of that.”