Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson took his place between the posts for Liverpool’s friendly against Napoli this past weekend, meaning that all four of the club’s summer signings have now made an appearance in pre-season.
The most expensive goalkeeper in football has been looking good in the various training videos posted on social media, and he reinforced this in his first ninety minutes. He was joined at various stages of the game by fellow newbies Naby Keita, Fabinho, and Xherdan Shaqiri, as the crowd which filled the Aviva Stadium in Dublin got to see all Liverpool’s new signings in action.
Jurgen Klopp has strengthened the spine of his team, quite literally, in the shape of these four players who all add an element of brawn as well as brains.
On top of his creativity and passing in the centre of the park, Keita offers a ceaseless engine which is ready-made for Klopp’s counter-pressing style. He’s got enough about him to brush off his marker when in possession, and can give the opposition a hard time when they have the ball.
Fellow midfielder Fabinho is the midfield anchor Liverpool have been crying out for for some time. They don’t have anyone else like him — unless Marko Grujic becomes that player — but for now Fabinho does the job of a defender and midfielder in front of the back four, using his height and strength to tackle and win headers on top of his ability on the ball.
Alisson, Clyne, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Milner, Keita, Wijnaldum, Mane, Salah, Firmino.
That's some team for the fans to get excited about!
#LFC
Further forward, Shaqiri may be more central to this Liverpool team than originally thought. On the face of it he was signed as a backup player, and Klopp has tried him in a number of positions in pre-season, including in midfield and as a centre forward.
When a backup player can cover a number of roles in a side they are rarely merely backup, and the Swiss dynamo looks the perfect fit for this team. His strength lies in his explosiveness and cleverness with his left foot. He already looks a different player to the one seen at Stoke City — more like the Basel player who persuaded Bayern Munich to fork out £10 million for him back in 2012.
Returning to the newcomer who will act as the last line of defence, Alisson is one of the more sizeable goalkeepers at the top level of the game. When combined with the reflexes he’s been showing in training, this means he fills a fair portion of the goal, which can be intimidating for opposition players.
All the attention was on him during Liverpool’s 5-0 thrashing of Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli in Dublin, and he received a huge welcome as the goalkeepers came out to warm up, and this continued into the game. He returned the favour by putting in an encouraging display, even if there were a couple of occasions where the offside flag saved him some embarrassment, and he gave one lucky young fan his gloves at the end of the game.
The Brazil No. 1’s long pass to Salah put his side in the position to open the scoring, and he looked comfortable and confident on the ball. Even if there are mistakes — and the way he plays the game they are likely — they won’t faze him.
“He’s quite a good footballer. Hopefully he’s as good as a goalie,” quipped Klopp when asked about his new keeper after the game.
“He was very, very aware of all situations when he was needed behind a high line, involved a lot in our buildup — we need to get more used to that.
“In the end he’s there to catch balls and he did that in all decisive moments, so I’m pleased.”
Four new signings may not seem like much of an overhaul but given the positions strengthened, this summer’s business could make a big difference. Regardless of their fee, each of these players operates at a high level, and Klopp has gone for first team quality in this window rather than squad filler.
Liverpool’s spine looks stronger than it has for some time, but with this perceived strength comes the expectation to win a trophy, which would be the club’s first under Klopp. No bedding-in periods will be afforded to such high profile, high quality signings, and all four could feature on the opening game of the new season as Liverpool begin their Premier League challenge.
