Naby Keita has suggested that Alisson Becker is the most important player at Liverpool.
Keita was being interview by EA Sports via Liverpool FC on Twitter when he was asked to give his thoughts on Liverpool’s goalkeeper.
“One against one, Ali always save the team,” said Naby. “He is the key for the team to win.”
Ali absolutely does always save the team. It’s great to see the Brazilian getting the credit he richly deserves from his teammate.
Keita’s first-hand experience
Perhaps this particular interview was filmed just after Liverpool knocked Villarreal out to progress to the Champions League final.
During the game at the Estadio de la Ceramica, Alisson spared Keita’s blushes. The midfielder played a sloppy back-pass that put Giovani Lo Celso through one-on-one.
Luckily for Keita, Alisson was on hand. The 29-year-old rushed out to thwart Lo Celso and prevent a clear chance. At the time, Liverpool were 2-0 down going into half-time. A third would have put them behind in the tie.
As a result of The Reds going on to win comfortably, the save from Alisson will probably be largely forgotten. This has often been the case for the goalie this season, who has made crucial saves at crucial times in games in which Liverpool have gone on to breeze.
But if you’ve been watching carefully, you’ll have seen that the big Brazilian between the sticks has been right up there with Liverpool’s best players this season. The Reds couldn’t play their high-line without him.
In a team full of superstars, he doesn’t always get his due. But take Alisson out of this Liverpool team and it wouldn’t have achieved half of what it has.
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