Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has delivered a rallying cry to his teammates, urging them to seize the opportunity to create their own piece of history at the club this season. The Reds have made a blistering start to the campaign under new manager Arne Slot, sitting six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand.
Their scintillating form, which has seen them win every game so far in the revamped Champions League format as well as advance to the Carabao Cup semifinals, has inevitably drawn comparisons to Liverpool’s title-winning side of 2019-20. But Alisson, an integral part of that triumphant team under Jürgen Klopp, believes it’s futile to compare the two squads.
I don’t think it’s too similar, [it’s] two different teams. A few players still play in the team but we have a little bit different style now, more ball possession, before it was really straightforward: a lot of transition, a lot of intensity.
That team was really special, we achieved great things, it was the first Premier League title for this club in a long time. We achieved the Champions League together as well, the season before. I think there’s no comparison with both situations.
Alisson Becker
Passion, Desire, and Commitment
Instead of dwelling on past glories, the 32-year-old shot-stopper wants his teammates to focus on forging their own path to greatness. He highlighted the squad’s hunger, passion and commitment as key ingredients that could propel them to silverware.
“Just what makes me happy is to see that this group of players, we have the quality to do something special and the most important thing is the commitment that is needed to win something is there, and the passion, the desire,” Alisson explained.
“We are hungry and we want to win every game in front of us and that we have in front of us and that’s all we are focused on at the moment.
We know that in the future we’re going to remember more about the good moments now that you had together in football. Winning is not everything, of course, but it’s a big part of football so I want to remember this team as a winning team.”
I believe we don’t have to compare ourselves with the teams in the past, we have to create our own history. This season, this group has to create its own history.
Alisson Becker
Alisson Praises “Special” Slot
The Brazil international also took time to laud the impact of Arne Slot since the Dutchman replaced Klopp in the Anfield hot seat. Many questioned whether Slot could fill the massive void left by the charismatic German, but Alisson feels the new boss has already proven his worth.
- Brought fresh ideas and playing style
- Won over the dressing room
- Harnessed squad’s desire to improve
“I think when Arne joined the club, everybody thought it would be hard work for him to replace a manager like Jürgen,” the keeper admitted. “He’s showing his qualities and he brings us a lot of good things.”
Bouncing Back from Injury Layoff
On a personal note, it’s been a challenging campaign for Alisson, who missed over two months with a hamstring injury. But the former Roma man stressed he is now back to full fitness and determined to play his part in Liverpool’s trophy hunt.
“It’s not easy when you stay for a long time away. It was not easy for me, but I worked really hard,” he revealed. “I was looking forward to coming back because when you are injured, these days you just don’t go there, put some ice on your legs and just wait until you’re fully recovered.”
“You work so hard in the gym every day, sometimes double sessions, pretty much every day double sessions, doing treatment at home, having treatment at the club. So I spent a lot of time working without doing the best side of football, that is playing. So I was looking forward to coming back, even because the team was doing so well, so you get even more excited to be part of it.”
It’s too soon to talk about the title, of course, but it’s our goal, it’s our target. At this point, we cannot just start to look to the points and see how it goes. We have to really focus on the next opponent that we have in front of us.
Alisson Becker
Liverpool will look to maintain their relentless march when they visit West Ham on Sunday. And while the Merseysiders appear to be in rude health, Alisson issued a note of caution, highlighting how quickly things can change in the Premier League pressure cooker.
But one thing is for certain – with Alisson between the sticks and Slot pulling the strings, this Liverpool vintage has all the makings of another legendary side. The chance to etch their names into Anfield folklore awaits; now they just have to seize it.
