Alisson Becker issues ‘process’ plea as ‘inexcusable’ Liverpool trend emerges before Sunderland
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker believes “moments” have defined Liverpool’s stuttering campaign.
As the Brazilian surveyed the wreckage of Sunday’s last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Manchester City, he knew that Liverpool have reached a point where they can no longer afford to be on the wrong side of them. The analysis from Alisson Becker, following the match, highlights the seriousness of their situation.
The Reds make the trip to the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night. They have seen their Anfield fortress breached in agonising fashion on a consistent basis throughout the campaign. City’s two late goals including a stoppage-time penalty didn’t just steal the points. Additionally, they left Arne Slot’s side trailing fifth-placed Chelsea by four points and Manchester United in fourth by five.
For Alisson, however, the autopsy of that defeat must be brief speaking to the LiverpoolFC official channels he stated:
“It is a big disappointment because we understand that we deserved a better result, but there are things that happen on the pitch, that’s part of football,” the goalkeeper said. Alisson Becker’s perspective demonstrates the mentality required at this elite level.
“Football is about moments as well, so in a few moments we allowed the opponent to have chances and at this level they are clinical, they are Man City, they are title contenders and they punish you when you don’t make everything right, when you don’t take maybe all the right decisions.
Indeed, there was nothing hollow about the noise emanating from the away end on Sunday. A sickening 2-1 home reverse against City means Arne Slot’s players now trail Manchester United in fourth by five points and sit four behind Chelsea. Notably, Chelsea hold fifth place likely to be the final qualifying position for the revamped Champions League.
An extraordinary end was a familiar one for a team who have conceded four injury-time winners this season. If, for much of the match, this seemed a pale imitation of some of the epic encounters between Guardiola’s City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, the last half-hour brought drama to rival any. And, for Dominik Szoboszlai, it brought a particular cruelty as his late dismissal summed up a bewildering season for the Reds. With Alisson Becker in goal, the Reds still hope for a turnaround.
An eighth Premier League defeat of the campaign leaves Liverpool with a mountain to climb in the team’s pursuit of European qualification. Their best route to the promised land of the European Cup next year might soon be to win the thing outright. This is because they simply don’t look equipped to put together the sort of sequence needed to overhaul a rejuvenated Chelsea and Manchester United.
Both rivals look fresh under new management, while the Reds appear increasingly hamstrung by a lack of clinical edge and a tendency to self-destruct when it matters most. For Slot, the honeymoon period is long gone. The reality of a transitional season is beginning to bite, and the fabled Anfield atmosphere is no longer enough to mask the cracks. That lack of edge has been pointed out by Alisson Becker repeatedly this season.
Despite the grim league table, Alisson is adamant that the foundations for an upturn are being laid. The No. 1 sees a squad finally adapting to the post-Klopp era, even if the results have yet to catch up with the performances.
“We are in a moment that we want to improve the performances as well. So yes, we are disappointed about the result but we have a game [on Wednesday],” Alisson added.
“We don’t have time to be disappointed, we have to work hard and try to win the next game. That is the most important thing for us.”
Indeed, that adaptation will be tested to its limit against a Sunderland side that remains the only team in the Premier League with an unbeaten home record this season. Alisson Becker will be central to Liverpool’s hopes of ending Sunderland’s run.
Having held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at Anfield back in December, the Black Cats represent a physical and tactical hurdle. Slot’s injury-hit squad must find a way to clear it.
“They were a big challenge for us as well, playing at home, so we know it’s going to be a tough game,” the goalkeeper continued. “Every Premier League game is a tough game to play. It’s a really intense team, physical, but technically good, tactically well-organised. They defend really well, they got good results against big clubs as well. So, we go there knowing that we’re going to have to work hard if we want to get the three points.”
The internal growth
While the table makes for grim reading, Alisson believes the “little things” are starting to click behind the scenes. He remains the vocal leader of a dressing room attempting to find its feet under new leadership. As Liverpool’s No. 1, Alisson Becker is driving these improvements forward.
“If you look to the little things of improvements, different details, I see improvement. I see that we are going in the right direction,” the No.1 added. “Of course, the results, that at the end are the most important thing, are not the results that we want. We are not happy with the season we are having, but it’s a time to rebuild the team and it’s about the process.”
He concluded with a call for patience: “So, you have to respect the process, you have to respect the timing for each player to adapt. I think now all the players adapted to the Premier League, to the competition, to the intensity of the game and now it’s on us to increase and grow up in connection, taking the best decisions, knowing each other better on the pitch. But I see a lot of improvements. What we want is that those improvements at the end will will bring us better results.”
Ultimately, Alisson’s plea for patience and a respect for the “process” will only carry weight if the results follow. While the Brazilian remains the vocal heart of the dressing room, the cold reality of the Premier League table is beginning to bite.
Liverpool can ill afford any more “moments” of self-destruction if they are to salvage their European status. Notably, Alisson Becker and his teammates are aware of the importance of these decisive moments.
Wednesday night at the Stadium of Light represents more than just a fixture it is a test of Liverpool’s resolve. To break Sunderland’s unbeaten home run, Slot’s side must rediscover the clinical edge and defensive steel that once made them feared across the continent.
Failure to do so would leave the Reds relying on a miracle in the Champions League to save a season that is rapidly approaching a point of no return, and Alisson Becker may be Liverpool’s last line of hope.