Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker outlined the importance of maintaining clean sheets amid tough congested fixtures during the ongoing Christmas period. The Reds will play attack-minded Tottenham Hotspur next in the Premier League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Sunday.
The Reds have enjoyed a strong balance between their defence and offence under new head coach Arne Slot this season. Liverpool have conceded 18 goals from 24 games in all competitions, winning 20 of those matches thanks to their defence.
Liverpool lost Alisson to a hamstring injury just before the October international break, forcing them to play deputy Caoimhin Kelleher. Nevertheless, the Reds maintained their stunning form with their second-choice Irish goalkeeper until Alisson made his triumphant return against Girona.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker wants the club to maintain their defensive formidability and return to winning ways.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker wants the club to maintain their defensive formidability and return to winning ways.
The 32-year-old played in the last Premier League fixture against Fulham which ended in a 2-2 draw with 10 men. Andy Robertson suffered an early red card against the West London club after Fulham survived numerous controversial red card-worthy fouls.
Irrespective of what happened, Liverpool have now dropped four points from their last two Premier League games. The situation has allowed second-place Chelsea to cover a lot of ground as they continue to enjoy their mid-season form.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com, Alisson highlighted that keeping clean sheets will play a pivotal role in Liverpool winning games. He said:
“Yeah, clean sheets have been a big part of our success so far this season so again, if you want to do something special, if you want to win titles, you need to have a solid defence and that means that the whole team needs to work hard for getting the clean sheets. Also, in the game, if you don’t concede you are closer to the victory and with the quality our players up front have, we know that we can hurt the opponents. But if you look to the games we played, the last two games, against Newcastle it was a hectic game and they are really strong as well [and] playing away from home is not easy. And against Fulham we had one man down and it’s not easy to manage that, you are going to give space to the opponents to play. You could see because we tried to win the game, we didn’t just try to get the result or something like that.”
The Reds have also lost their in-form centre-back Ibrahima Konate to injury during their Champions League victory against Real Madrid. However, there is no room for mitigating factors or any excuses as the competitive rivals will take any momentum drop.
More Liverpool News
The Premier League is special as any team could cause an upset against the top teams if they find vulnerability. Liverpool will face Spurs next and despite their struggle with inconsistent form, they are as threatening as any top team.