It is no mean feat standing in for one of the world’s best goalkeepers, but Caoimhin Kelleher is proving a thoroughly able deputy in Alisson Becker’s ongoing absence at Liverpool.
That is the consensus so far, anyway, as next up is the biggest test in world football, a showdown with Manchester City, the machine with a goal-a-game striker being supported by an English teammate making a Euro 2024 starting spot his own.
To deny Erling Haaland, Phil Foden et al is a tall order, and in a Premier League title race of fine margins, in a rivalry where centimetres have had gargantuan consequences, Liverpool will need Kelleher to continue his impressive form at Anfield on Sunday.
It will be his first time appearing against Manchester City in the Premier League, having been on the bench the last five occasions, while his only start against Pep Guardiola’s side came in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup in 2022 – a 3-2 defeat at the Etihad when Haaland was among the goals.
But that was then. Now Kelleher looks more fine-tuned, better off even than he did earlier in the season when looking shaky in December’s 4-3 win over Fulham – his first league start of the season.
After another spell among the subs, he is back starting again, and the saving grace of Alisson’s injury – a hamstring problem that could keep the Brazilian out until mid-April – is that Kelleher has warmed his gloves going into this match against City.
Kelleher, 25, has started the last seven matches, conceding just four goals and putting in a star turn against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, as a string of quality saves denied the Blues before Virgil van Dijk’s late winner in extra time.
A Republic of Ireland international with 11 caps, Kelleher is evidently benefitting from this rare run of games he has seldom been used to since making his competitive debut for Liverpool in 2019.
In those five years he has never gone out on loan, instead patiently waiting in the wings and making 40 appearances to date.
The fact 19 of those have come this season may hint at Jurgen Klopp’s faith, but in truth it is down to Liverpool missing out on the Champions League, thus granting Kelleher the role of Europa League goalkeeper as well as the Carabao Cup.
Nevertheless, when needing your cup goalkeeper to step up in the absence of your No 1, Klopp is grateful to have a player he claims is not too far behind Alisson in quality.
“The gap between the first and second goalkeeper cannot be a big amount,” Klopp said last week. “There must be quality in that position because the football demands are just too big to now play the goalkeeper for four years in a row in all the competitions.
“It is completely normal that you have these discussions with players who are ready [but not starting]. With a goalkeeper it is slightly different, but it never reached a point where we had a discussion whereby it was, ‘You have to stay, shut up’.
“The most important thing was [that] we had to help him on the next step in his development by playing more games.
“He has played a lot of games now, in the Europa League, the League Cup and quite a few league games as well. You would have to ask him exactly what he thought, but I think now he would be pretty happy with the decision he made in the summer.”
Kelleher’s presence, likewise that of Conor Bradley in place of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, brings a new edge to this Liverpool-City rivalry.
Typically a match where Alisson and Ederson comparisons are drawn – the pair among the most consistent going, with their positions rarely questioned – this time it will be Kelleher aiming to outshine his Manchester City counterpart.
To do so, he will need help from those in front of him, but as all goalkeepers know, as the last line of defence there is nowhere to hide. He knows he’ll be busy, too, and just where and when his gloves touch the ball will tell us which way this match, and potentially the title race, has swung.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/OuArw4M
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