Liverpool No 1 Alisson is a calm and measured presence in goal – but he’s ready to show his ruthlessness against Man United
Alisson Becker leans back in a chair at Liverpool's training base in Kirkby with a single espresso shot in hand. The goalkeeper, a calming and measured presence not just between the sticks, is here to talk title races, South American brotherhood and his leadership role.
But whatever tangent the conversation takes, the theme continually returns to the last time Manchester United visited Anfield. It was a day that football fans will never forget – apart perhaps from the United supporters who tried to erase the memory – but as a reminder, they lost 7-0.
It was United's worst defeat to their bitter rivals in 127 years, dating back to a 7-1 defeat in 1895 in the second tier. Alisson is soon asked how he would react if he were embarrassed 7-0 by his team's arch-enemy.
“I'd be on fire, I think, and I'd try to set my teammates on fire too!” he says. Of course, the Brazilian goalkeeper means that in a psychological or metaphorical sense – hopefully – but it shows the ruthlessness of Alisson, who is considered by many to be one of Liverpool's most important leaders.
In terms of importance to the team's successes, Alisson is on par with, if not above, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. If he were to suffer a long-term injury, hopes of breaking Manchester City's monopoly on the Premier League would fade away.
Alisson says if his side loses 7-0 in any match he 'considered setting his teammates on fire'
Alisson discussed the leadership and South American brotherhood in the Liverpool camp
The Brazilian goalkeeper has the air that his teammates always listen when he speaks
Sources say Alisson is not an ever-present voice of inspiration in team locker room conversations, but has an aura that when he speaks, teammates sit up and listen. He is part of Liverpool's five-man leadership group, but is also a role model with his great performances.
'As soon as I sat down here (arriving in Liverpool) I knew my way around, it's my style to manage and I'm a guy who likes to talk and can be a good one-on-one with players when necessary. The bracelet at this club means a lot and wearing the bracelet entails a lot of responsibility.
'Not only on the field, but also off it, you become a kind of symbol for the supporters. But we have and we have had so many leaders. So many players have already played a role as a leader. That's what our team is built on, with many leaders pulling in the same direction.”
The leadership Alisson speaks of – Liverpool have five players captaining their national team – is exactly what those at East Lancashire Road are missing, with Manchester United long missing characters in the dressing room and failure seemingly a weekly occurrence.
The goalkeeper has found friendship in international rivals such as Argentine Alexis Mac Allister and Liverpool's four South Americans – also Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz – have dressing room games, with Nunez scoring against Brazil and Argentina for Uruguay this year.
“Bobby (Firmino) and Fabinho were a huge loss,” he said. 'But the relationship we have here between the South Americans is great. We come from different countries, but have quite similar cultures. I drink mate, same as Darwin, same as Macca.
“So we have a rivalry, but when we're here we're really good friends. I see so much desire and passion in Macca, Darwin and Lucho to do great things for this club. The environment and atmosphere of the other players help them gain this passion.'
Liverpool's cohesion and team spirit may be their best weapon if the Premier League leaders are to continue this season, but they also rely on plenty of talent across the pitch. Alisson is perhaps someone they have relied on a little too much this season.
Alisson's influence on Liverpool's rise is equal to – if not greater than – that of Mohamed Salah
The Brazilian was part of the Reds team that defeated Manchester United 7-0 at Anfield last season
It was the heaviest victory over their arch-rivals in 127 years, since their 7-1 defeat in 1895.
He made an injury-time save at Crystal Palace to deny Joachim Andersen and has kept the Reds in multiple games when they have been plagued by sloppy starts this season. Alisson has saved a record 80.4 percent of shots this season and says he is only getting better.
“Yes, if the numbers speak, then maybe I will get better!”, he says. 'That's what I work for, to improve as much as possible every year. I started playing (first team) football for a goalkeeper at a young age, 21 or 22, so I've been playing in the posts for 10 years.
'That's a lot of time, but I'm still young for a goalkeeper. When you see goalkeepers now, they play until they are 38, 39 and sometimes go beyond that. I think I am now reaching the highest point of my career, combining physicality, experience and great desire.
'Goalkeeping has changed since Manuel Neuer. I think if you look at the past you see goalkeepers playing with their feet. I think (Victor) Valdes was on his feet at Barcelona, but Neuer was the man who was more active in playing, in sweeping behind the defensive line.
Although he is already 31, Alisson believes he can continue at his peak for several more years
He named Bayern Munich and German legend Manuel Neuer as the great innovator in goalkeeping
The highly rated shot-stopper also spoke about his friendship with Liverpool's other South Americans, such as Uruguayan Darwin Nunez (left) and Argentine Alexis Mac Allister (right).
'Then it is Ederson and myself, so many goalkeepers who have the quality to play. You have to find that out, you have to choose a goalkeeper with those kinds of skills, but the most important quality of the goalkeeper is making saves and making the team feel safe when you are between the posts.'
How high can Liverpool go this season? “That match (7-0) is in the past, it's good for the supporters to talk about and remember, but we are a different team now,” he said. 'We have big goals for this season, we want to do everything we can to win this match, no matter how high the score is.
“We have to talk about the title race more slowly because we are a team that is rebuilding. Of course we want to win the league, of course we want to beat every opponent we have. But we should always focus on what is closest to what we have now.
'We also have to perform better, better than what we are doing, but I think we will get there.'