Ex-Liverpool keeper says Liverpool turning point is down to one man | OneFootball

Some problems in football only become visible when you take away the one man who usually solves them, and Liverpool’s recent slide has been linked directly to that reality.

Friedel points to Liverpool’s biggest issue and why Alisson matters

Brad Friedel told talkSPORT that “they’ve missed Alisson a lot”, stressing that under Jurgen Klopp and last season under Arne Slot, we were able to “play a really aggressive defensive style when Alisson is at the top of his game”.

The American added that the Brazilian is “the best of all time at 1v1 situations”, allowing us to “expose yourself a little bit more and try to win the ball higher up the field”, which he believes has been lost with our No.1 unavailable.

It’s a fair assessment when you consider that the 33-year-old has only played 11 matches this season, compared to 10 for Giorgi Mamardashvili and one for Freddie Woodman.

According to Transfermarkt, the South American has missed 88 games for club and country since joining us, an extraordinary number for someone widely considered the best goalkeeper in the world.

Paul Scholes made a similar point earlier this season when he said “Alisson’s a big miss… it seems like every shot is going in”, which echoes Friedel’s concerns while also noting that it isn’t necessarily a criticism of our Georgian goalkeeper.

Injury specialist Sam Fell also explained how repeated hamstring strains have left the former Roma keeper more susceptible, with Fell warning that his sprinting mechanics “might have led to that over time”.

With the 2024/25 Premier League champions now back in the race for the Champions League positions, the fitness of our No.1 could be decisive.

Why Alisson returning now helps Liverpool and Slot’s push

(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

We tend to be strong in midweek fixtures, losing only one of our last 25 Premier League games under the lights and with the Opta supercomputer giving us a 68.7% chance of beating Sunderland – momentum is building at just the right time.

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 10 league matches against the Black Cats and have won 26 of their last 28 home meetings with newly promoted teams.

If Mo Salah returns to the XI, his record against promoted sides – eight goals in his last seven appearances – is another source of confidence.

But Friedel’s main point still frames the entire week: Alisson changes how we defend. With our No.1 fit again, the hope now is simply continuity.

Because as Friedel suggested, when the world’s best 1v1 goalkeeper is behind us, everything about how we press and defend lifts with him.

You can watch Slot’s post-West Ham press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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