Stood in goal behind the defensive giants of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, you will often find Alisson Becker.
Having performed at his impenetrable best for several years now, Alisson is always at hand to save the day, whenever the Reds find themselves in trouble.
But recent times have seen the Brazilian increasingly impacted with injuries and Liverpool’s ever-present defensive block – widely considered to be the best goalkeeper in the world – is often found on the sidelines.
Alisson’s injury prognosis
After Alisson missed two matches in September, citing calf muscle tightness as the reason for his time away, Liverpool fans hoped that he would be injury-free for the remainder of the campaign.
And for a few weeks, things were fine. He shaved his beard and Liverpool continued their impressive form under Arne Slot.
But when the Brazilian fell to the ground during the Reds’ visit to Crystal Palace, we all feared the worst.
Following numerous different diagnoses, it appeared as though he had pulled his hamstring and might miss six weeks of action – a killer blow given the club’s daunting list of upcoming fixtures until the middle of December.
While Alisson has been out, Coaimhin Kelleher has been filling in, finally experiencing the first-team football he has yearned for after Richard Hughes decided against letting the Irishman leave this past summer.
But according to Football Insider, Alisson is set to be on the sidelines beyond the November international break, making it a possibility that he may not return until early December.
Liverpool set to face their biggest tests
While Kelleher is widely considered to be an excellent backup goalkeeper, the extended loss of Alisson is significant.
The Reds successfully bypassed the threat of Chelsea last week, but clashes against Arsenal, Brighton and Leverkusen lie ahead in November, and it is now possible that Alisson will miss Liverpool’s huge matches against Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Vitezslav Jaros may be utilised in the Carabao Cup fixture against Brighton next week, to supplement Kelleher’s non-stop workload, but Liverpool’s defence will be under enormous pressure moving forward, despite an excellent start to the season with six clean sheets kept after 11 matches.
