Virgil Van Dijk praises Alisson for allowing Liverpool to play out from defence
Virgil Van Dijk has labelled his teammate Alisson a fantastic goalkeeper and praised the Brazilian for his role in helping Liverpool build attacking moves from defence.
Alisson briefly became the most expensive goalkeeper in football history when joining Liverpool from Roma for £67m in July and has quickly made a big impact at Anfield.
The Brazilian No.1 has only conceded six goals from his first 16 Premier League appearances, making 36 saves in total. Furthermore, going by the expected goals (xG) model, Alisson has saved seven shots that he would be expected to have conceded from.
Aside from his shot-stopping abilities, Alisson has also impressed with the ball at his feet, averaging an impressive 78% pass accuracy rate in the league and Van Dijk believes it is an asset to have a goalkeeper who can distribute the ball confidently and effectively.
Advertisement Advertisement
Speaking to Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports, Van Dijk said: Hes alright, isnt he? Hes a fantastic goalkeeper. Hes so quick out of the box, so big as well, and comfortable on the ball, which helps all of us. Im glad hes with us. The communication is very good.
More: Football
On Liverpools philosophy of building out from the back, Van Dijk added: Its modern-day football. We try to do it, and we have the players to do it. With Alisson at the back as well, he likes to take risks and I think its a good thing. Its difficult to press and win the ball from us.
Advertisement Advertisement
[contf]
[contfnew]
METRO
[contfnewc]
[contfnewc]
