In Focus: Alisson's fine form helping Reds resurgence

Few Premier League goalkeepers are as reliable as Alisson Becker.

The Brazilian has been a constant between the sticks for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, playing a key role on the way to Champions League and Premier League glory.

And he has started the 2023-24 season in typically strong form, with the Reds third in the table having won three and drawn one of their four games — conceding just three goals.

Ahead of the Merseysiders' trip to Wolves, we take a look at Alisson's importance for Liverpool as they aim to challenge Manchester City at the division's summit.

Key man

Liverpool's opponents have underperformed their xG by -2.89 when Alisson has been between the sticks this season.

Only two Premier League stoppers — West Ham's Alphonse Areola (-3.62) and Sheffield United's Wes Foderingham (-4.64) — have helped their respective teams to a better record.

Alisson is also joint-fourth in the league for saves inside the box (12), with the most notable of those being his exceptional parry on to the bar to deny Miguel Almiron at Newcastle.

The 30-year-old plays a key role for Liverpool in build-up too, ranking fourth among Premier League goalkeepers for completed passes (110).

Focus

There is certainly no suggestion that Alisson ever lets complacency slip into his game, with concentration a vital attribute for top-level keepers.

After last month's victory over the Magpies, he said: "I've been in football for a long time now and I know that sometimes you can make a really good save and things go towards a good direction for the team.

"Then sometimes you make an amazing save and things go in a bad direction.

“So anything can happen in football — I just try to be focused on the next ball to try to keep helping the team."

Consistency

Alisson needed to be focused throughout last season as Liverpool struggled to hit their usual levels.

Again he conceded fewer goals than would have been expected, with the Reds' opponents underperforming their xG by -4.35 over the course of the season when the Brazil international was in goal.

He also completed more passes (1,033) and won more possessions in the defensive third (66) than any other Premier League goalkeeper, continuing to prove his worth as an exceptional sweeper keeper.

Klopp was understandably full of praise for his No1.

He said: "He [Alisson] is for sure the most consistent player we have this season.

"That's actually not bad news, it's good news, because if we are not in great shape and the level of the goalie drops as well then we would have been completely lost."

Promising signs

Alisson's performances last season appear to have carried over into 2023-24.

The good news for Liverpool is that all the signs point to an improvement on last term, in which case the fine margins gained by having a custodian of his quality could be even more important.

Still, the Reds' defence is far from watertight — they rank just 11th in the league for shots conceded from inside the box (38) and have been indebted to their goalkeeper on several occasions already.

If Liverpool hope to finish in the top four and even compete with champions City, Alisson will have a huge part to play.