At nearly the halfway point of the season, Liverpool are in a fantastic position to win silverware thanks to their brilliant start under Arne Slot.
The Reds have won 20 of their 24 matches under the Dutchman and most of their players have been in fine form.
Slot is the first Liverpool manager since Roy Evans to spearhead the Reds to 20 unbeaten games in the same season, a run that has seen them lead the way in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.
Things are looking great for Liverpool, but Troy Deeney has singled out one player for harsh criticism ahead of the festive run-in.
Troy Deeney criticises Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher
Alisson Becker struggled with a hamstring injury earlier this season and was out of action for nearly two months, which paved the way for Caoimhin Kelleher to stake a claim for a starting spot.
And the young goalkeeper showed his class between the sticks as Liverpool were unbeaten with him in goal.
Kelleher even made a penalty save against Kylian Mbappe as the Reds secured a statement 2-0 win against Real Madrid, while he was also between the sticks for the win against Manchester City by the same scoreline.
However, he made one costly error against Newcastle United as Liverpool were held to a 3-3 draw at St James’ Park as he failed to gather the ball before Fabian Schar scored the equaliser.
And Deeney singled out that moment as a reason why Kelleher isn’t ready to be a number one goalkeeper as spoke candidly about what it takes to perform consistently.
“I don’t think it’s as easy to say he’ll do what he’s been doing behind one of the best defenses in the last 18 months,” said Deeney.
“He’s done well when he’s come in but to do well over a five-game block is completely different from doing it over a season. He’s also made mistakes.
“We always talk about the good stuff but how about when he let the ball go over his head and that guy scores for Newcastle to draw the game? No one ever mentions that.
“When you’re the main goalkeeper, you’ve got a whole fan base around you and you’re expected to save everything. I just don’t think it’s as easy to be a number 1 as it is to be a number 2.
“Look at people like Turner. He was really good at Nottingham Forest but he can’t even get a game at Crystal Palace.”
What has Deeney previously said about Kelleher?
After the Reds’ win against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League, Deeney once again cast doubts over Kelleher’s ability as a number-one goalkeeper, which clearly shows he isn’t a huge fan of him.
Despite what the former Premier League striker has to say, Kelleher was fantastic for Liverpool during his stint with the first team and has shown that he is more than capable of being the first-choice goalkeeper.
Liverpool have no plans of selling Kelleher in January, but with Giorgi Mamardashvili set to join the club next summer, they might reluctantly agree to offload him at the end of the season.
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