But as it is entirely possible he also ends up at either Real or Chelsea next year, this will be written primarily with that idea in mind.
So if he goes to Chelsea, Chelsea fans can read this thread to learn about him and get hyped, just like Liverpool fans should he go to Liverpool.
Since then he has cemented himself as Brazil’s No. 1 ahead of Ederson and attracted interest from across Europe, particularly from Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Chelsea.
For that, let’s look at some stats, and discuss what makes Alisson so desirable.
A keeper that’s good with their feet means not only that they won’t crumble under pressure from a striker, but also can pick out passes from the back.
Therefore, we’ll use Ederson as the standard to compare against in terms of distribution.
That said, both keepers are exceptional with their feet. In fact for context on just how good, let’s compare them to some other keepers as well.
De Gea frequently sends the ball long (435 attempts) but more often than not misses (40.5% success), same when going toward the final third (98 attempts, 20.4%)
With Liverpool and Real both enjoying a fair amount of possession each game, as well as a strong counter-attacking style, Alisson’s ability to put the ball down field quick is invaluable.
As CB’s usually push up on corners, this leaves them highly prone to counters. An accurate punt from Alisson could take 8+ players out of the equation.
Squawka rated him as the second best keeper in the world, only behind Ter Stegen
But why?
His save rate of 80.1% was the highest in Serie A, and second highest in Europe behind only Jan Oblak at 85.8%.
Only Juventus (24) conceded fewer league goals than Roma (28) in Serie A.
But of course some are (understandably) not convinced by save rate alone. As it doesn’t say anything about the types of shots they faced.
Expected goals (xG) are computed by identifying the position a shot was taken from and calculating the likelihood that a player would score from that position. This same metric is used to measure xGA.
In other words, if a keeper concedes as many goals as he is expected, then he saved all the shots he was expected to save.
So what if Roma conceded all the goals they were expected to concede as they would with a typical keeper?
The phrase “(insert World Class keeper) is probably worth 10+ points a season” is literal with Alisson.
I will also then speak specifically on why I think Liverpool want him toward the end, so if Chelsea/Madrid/Neutral fans stop at that point it’s cool.
While I am in no way saying he is better than De Gea, his reflexes very much do remind me of DDG’s.
And then concede let’s say, ~20 goals.
That’s a G/D of 64...Chelsea walked away with the league in 2016/17 with a G/D of 52
A strong midfield like that, and a goalkeeper like Alisson turns losses/draws into wins. It wins titles. And Liverpool fans should be excited about it.
If I reply past this point it will be for clarifications or if I forgot to mention something.