Alisson slot back into Liverpool’s starting lineup with ease against Girona, reasserting his place at Liverpool and in the bracket of elite goalkeepers.
“I said a bit of a joke that maybe the players wanted to see how fit he really was, so to give him so much work,” Slot said in jest after the 1-0 win.
If Alisson had been hoping to be eased back into competitive action, he got quite the surprise in Spain on Tuesday evening as Liverpool needed him to be at his best.
The Brazilian spent nine weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury and his confidence in his body was put to the test, as FotMob‘s statistics from the night show.
Ali is the best for a reason
“He has been out for a while, so maybe we had to see whether he was rusty or not and he certainly wasn’t,” Andy Robertson also joked after the match.
The comments from the Liverpool camp certainly nodded to the test they put Alisson under on his return, but can we be surprised that he passed with flying colours?
Alisson was statistically FotMob‘s highest-rated player with 8.3-out-of-10, bettering next best Andy Robertson (8/10) after making five saves, four of which were from inside the box.
That he almost caught Yaser Asprilla’s drilled shot from distance was an early indication he did not need to blow off any cobwebs, making a strong effort look tame.
The 32-year-old made eight recoveries and finished with more touches (42) than four starters across both teams, operating with an accuracy of 86 percent.
He does not need to make every action look world-class, he earns that title by making it look easy by being in the right position and anticipating what comes next.
Slot said post-match: “He showed again today why I said so many times that he’s our first goalkeeper.”
Caoimhin Kelleher performed admirably in Alisson‘s absence, but the Brazilian exemplified why he is the best in the business by slotting back into the XI with ease.
He has also now equalled Pepe Reina’s record number of clean sheets in the Champions League for Liverpool, notching his 21st in his 49th appearance in the competition.
It is great to have you back between the sticks, Ali.
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