Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson is featured in a pretty long interview with Brazilian outlet UOL this week.
The goalkeeper had already been interviewed by Folha de São Paulo last week, and spoke about the Reds’ season, religion and politics in Brazil.
So we’re now only highlighting the different things Alisson had to say, and it starts with him talking about his looks.
“I deal with reports about my appearance in the same way that I deal with criticism. If it’s something that will help me grow, I absorb it in a positive way,” Alisson told UOL.
“But if it’s just to fill my ego, I’ll throw it away. We goalkeepers always have to be confident, but confidence can never go over the limit, never can have a bigger ego than our concentration.”
Alisson had a lot to say about playing with his feet, claiming it’s always been part of his game, and he’s lucky he’s been playing for teams who appreciate this feature.
“I always liked to play with my feet, to help in the creation stage. I make, on average, 30 to 40 passes per game. There’s a match that ends with three or four long balls, at most. The rest are all short passes for defenders. Often, even when I’m under pressure, I try to play. In the Brazilian national team it’s the same. Tite is a coach who likes that too.
“It is no use for the goalkeeper to be good playing with his feet if the team doesn’t have the characteristics for that. It won’t work. What makes it work isn’t only the quality that I have, but the quality of my teammates, the disposition of my teammates always give me the option to play. When I need to kick, I kick, no problem.”
It’s pretty clear that Alisson has had a great defence in front of him in the past couple of years. But he says it doesn’t mean he doesn’t work a lot, since his participation in creating play has been big lately.
“There are times when I don’t make any saves in a match, but my style is to participate. I work a lot with my feet, I participate in creating plays from the defensive box. Sometimes you say that I only made one save. But it was a save and I covered three times the depth that would be a dangerous move, I cut five crosses. It seems that I’m doing nothing there in the goal, but my head is working, I’m focused on the game. The goalkeeper must be ready to work at any time and make the save when necessary.”
The goalkeeper also talked a little about Jurgen Klopp, saying the manager is the same man in private as the one people see on television.
“Klopp is like that. He doesn’t pretend or act in interviews. He’s a guy in love with football, for what he does. We believe what he believes. Within the club, he treats everyone well – not just the players. He cares about everyone. In addition to being a great coach, he is a great human being, which is the most important.”
