When Liverpool last week announced the appointment of Claudio Taffarel to be their goalkeeping coach, the club confirmed that the Brazilian legend will continue working for the national team.
The 55-year-old has been part of Seleção’s staff since 2014, with manager Tite giving him an important voice in the selection of their starting goalkeeper, and he will continue to be there at least until the World Cup next year.
As confirmed by Jurgen Klopp, Taffarel’s arrival at Liverpool is a request made by Alisson. The Reds’ star already works with him at the national team, where he fights for a position with Manchester City’s Ederson and Palmeiras’ Weverton.
So with the coach now with a position at Melwood, UOL columnist Juca Kfouri comes up with a piece to raise an ‘ethical question’ and wonder whether it can now be a fair fight between Alisson and his Manchester City and Palmeiras competition.
Kfouri first acknowledges that Alisson has been great both for Liverpool and Brazil for the past few years. Still, Ederson and Weverton have been in great shape as well and equally fighting for the starting place at the World Cup, and were supposed to have fair competition.
“There is only one ethical question when thinking about the Brazilian national team: between Alisson, Ederson and Weverton, who will Taffarel nominate for Tite in Qatar’s Cup?” asks Kfouri.
“Difficult question. Because it doesn’t make sense for the national team’s goalkeepers’ coach to be as exclusive as the coach is, but it seems natural, and human, that the choice of the starting line-up should go down to the player closest to Taffarel. Or not?”
Alisson has indeed been Brazil’s most used player in the World Cup qualifiers, starting four of the national team’s seven games so far. Meanwhile, Weverton had two appearances and Ederson only one.
It’s still impossible to know who’ll have the starting position for the World Cup, although it’s now fair to say that the Manchester City and Palmeiras goalkeepers may find their task harder.
