Q&A: Alisson Becker on clean sheets, fitness and improvements needed
Alisson Becker believes Liverpool are capable of making improvements that will more regularly secure clean sheets.
The Reds have not registered a shutout since the 1-0 win at Sheffield United in late September and had to come from behind at Aston Villa in their most recent outing.
Alisson accepts it is not always possible to keep opponents at bay but revealed why he and his teammates feel annoyed when they are responsible for a concession.
The goalkeeper was speaking at a press conference on Monday ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League tie against Genk at Anfield.
Read a summary of the Brazilian’s answers below, including the situation in Group E, his fitness and the recent spate of comebacks achieved by the side…
On Liverpool’s habit of scoring late goals and the confidence it gives the team…
It’s a thing that gives us confidence to keep fighting all the time, for 90 minutes until the end. If you are down in the score you can fight to try to come back. But I think we can also learn some things and I think we can do better because sometimes we are conceding some goals that we can do better [with]. When you concede in a game you change the way of the game. I think we can do better in that aspect.
On whether winning games makes him less annoyed about not keeping clean sheets…
It always annoys me when we concede stupid goals – sorry about the word! When we concede in a stupid way, this annoys me and annoys my teammates also, because when we enter the pitch we always have a common goal – that is win the game and keep a clean sheet. When you keep a clean sheet you are closer to the victory, at least you have a draw. We can work better on that aspect. When you concede a goal in a difficult moment, in a moment that the team needs you to keep a clean sheet, the games become more difficult. So we need to work better on that if we want to do great things this season.
On how close he feels to being 100 per cent match-fit after his injury…
Yeah, I feel good, from the first game that I played against Manchester [United]. Obviously some things just come with playing matches and I think now I start to be more confident again. When you are fit in your body and fit in your mind, you can do everything. The last game, I didn’t work too much but I did important interventions, some clearances in the second half in some moments of counter-attack. I think these are the most difficult things to have when you are not playing for a long time. I know I can do better and I’m working hard for that. I’ll try to do everything better as soon as possible and when I have more work to do also.
On how much Liverpool miss Joel Matip when he is unavailable…
We are not a weaker side when he’s not playing but, yes, we miss him. He is a very good player, a player who helped us a lot last season, winning the Champions League. A player who when he is on the pitch gives us confidence, in aerial duels also. But Dejan [Lovren] is doing really, really well when he is playing, we also have Joe [Gomez] who is a top player. He is also young and has good potential to become a top player. We miss him but we are as strong now as when we have him.
On the injury suffered by Everton midfielder Andre Gomes on Sunday…
I just saw one picture. It’s really difficult. We know it can happen to anyone at any time. It was an accident and I hope Andre Gomes comes back as soon as possible – and stronger also.
On why he thinks Liverpool have not been keeping clean sheets…
As I said, it’s annoying when you concede stupid goals and you don’t keep the clean sheets. [But] sometimes you have the quality of the opponent and when they score in that way, with quality and you can’t do anything different, it’s OK. You need to accept it’s part of the game. But I think we can do better in the concentration aspect. For example, against Genk we conceded a goal in the 85th minute so that annoyed me, it annoyed everyone on the team because we need to keep focus and keep your goals. If you are winning by one goal and you concede in that moment, the game is pretty much finished, you cannot do something different. Sometimes you have no time. We need to learn from these moments to make sure it will not happen again.
On whether the hectic fixture list ahead makes Liverpool keen to try to secure qualification as quickly as possible…
It’s an important goal for us to qualify as soon as possible. We have a home game and we know how strong we are here. If we win every home game from now then we have a big chance to qualify. This game is as important as the other games to come.
On Simon Mignolet…
He is a great guy who helped me a lot in my first season here in Liverpool. He’s a great goalkeeper also, he shows professionalism. He didn’t play too much but he worked hard every day on my side and he was an important piece in what we achieved last season because he also helped with the leadership with everyone in the dressing room.