Alisson Becker or Caoimhin Kelleher: Who should be Liverpool manager Arne Slot’s first-choice goalkeeper?

Alisson Becker is almost fully fit after injury, meaning Arne Slot will soon have to choose between the Brazilian and his substitute Caoimhin Kelleher – so which goalkeeper should the Liverpool manager go with?

Alisson tore his hamstring in the closing stages of Liverpool's 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on October 5 and only recently returned to light training, with Slot confirming he and his medical staff would approach his recovery cautiously.

“We are careful with everyone when it comes to muscle,” said the Dutchman, who was coy about whether Alisson would be considered for Premier League champions Manchester City's visit to Anfield on Super Sunday.

“He is back in training with the goalkeeping coach and is not training with the team, but that is expected soon. Let's wait and see where he stands in terms of match fitness. He is getting better, but is not ready yet.”

Finally, there is no need for Alisson to return to action as Liverpool are unbeaten in all competitions during his seven-week absence and top both the Premier League and Champions League.

Not only that, but Kelleher has once again performed at such a high level when coming in for Alisson. A real argument can now be made that he deserves to keep his place in goal, even if the Brazil international has fully recovered from injury.

So what do the statistics say about the respective strengths and weaknesses of the two goalscorers and what other factors will Slot and Liverpool's new goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte take into account when making this difficult decision?

How do their temperament and experience compare?

Both players have excellent temperaments – in fact, they are known to be unflappable characters who are rarely seen flustered even under the most extreme pressure.

And there is no more extreme pressure for a goalkeeper than a penalty shoot-out, with no Liverpool goalkeeper having saved more penalties than Kelleher's six in such situations – the Reds have also won all four League Cup shootouts in which he has been involved was. – as the Irishman scored the decisive penalty in the Reds' dramatic 11-10 shoot-out win against Chelsea in the 2021/22 Carabao Cup final, before being named player of the match against the same opponents in the final season finale .

Not only that, but Kelleher was at it again on Wednesday night, saving Kylian Mbappe's penalty in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League – as he also did to prevent penalties from Southampton's Adam Armstrong, although he scored from the recovery, and Finn Joel Pohjanpalo this month.

Alisson also helped Liverpool beat Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out to claim the 2021/22 FA Cup final, although it is difficult to match the 32-year-old when it comes to actual on-pitch experience.

The hirsute goalkeeper has made almost 500 appearances for Internacional, Roma and Liverpool since 2013 and has also been capped 71 times by Brazil in almost a decade, while also winning almost every possible trophy since moving to Anfield for a world record £67 million. in 2018.

In contrast, 26-year-old Kelleher has won just 26 caps for the Republic of Ireland since making his international debut just over three years ago, while Alison's presence as the Reds' No. 1 has also limited him to just 56 appearances in all competitions. in five years at the club, almost half of which last season.

Alisson leaves Reds paralyzed again

Normally you would expect your number one goalkeeper to play all 38 Premier League games per season, which is what Alisson did in his debut season at Anfield.

However, the Brazilian has failed to reach that number in his five completed seasons since, suffering a long-term calf problem just 39 minutes into the Reds' title-winning campaign in the 2019/20 campaign, which has kept him out of the side for seven league games before he started suffering from hip and neck problems. shoulder problems the following season.

Meanwhile, Alisson tore his hamstring in training earlier this year, keeping him out of action for a further seven top-flight matches. He has also missed five league games so far this season with the same injury.

In contrast, Kelleher – six years junior to Alisson – has been largely injury-free since his Liverpool debut in September 2019, apart from a two-month absence due to a hamstring strain at the start of the 2022/2023 season.

Jeepers goalies

A big part of any modern goalkeeper's arsenal is their skill with the ball at their feet, a skill set that Alisson has always excelled at since joining Merseyside. That is why he is seen by many experts as one of, if not the most complete, goalkeepers. in the world game.

As a Brazilian, the 32-year-old has always felt comfortable when asked to act as a sweeper keeper, so much so that he even has three league assists to his name during his Reds career, as well as a memorable goal to his team to help. until a crucial late win over West Bromwich Albion in May 2021.

However, in recent seasons a strange, uncharacteristic flaw has crept into this part of Alisson's game, as evidenced when he gifted Vinicius Junior an equalizer in a Champions League last-16 tie with Real at Anfield in February 2023, before he blamed received from Gabriel. Martinelli's goal in February's crucial 3-1 defeat to title rivals Arsenal.

By comparison, around 32 percent of Kelleher's touches in Premier League matches have come outside his box, although his passing has been slightly less than Alisson's so far this season. [72.13% pass completion rate compared to 81.54%]meaning Liverpool lose nothing in this regard with the Irishman between the sticks.

What do the general statistics say?

Sure, temperament, experience, availability and ball skills are all important ingredients that make up the modern goalkeeper, but ultimately what really matters when assessing shot stoppers is exactly that: their ability to keep the ball out of the ball. net.

On that note, both players have made six league starts this season, with Alisson conceding just two goals to Kelleher's six, with three clean sheets to his name, one more than the Republic of Ireland international has ever managed.

In those six meetings, Alisson faced 17 shots, making 15 saves, with a save percentage of 88.2 while preventing 2.7 goals, compared to his backup who faced 23 shots, and made 18 stops with a 73.9 save percentage in the process. 1.1 goals prevented.

Ultimately, however, it is when a save is made during a match that can influence the outcome, as conceding a goal at 1-0 is very different from 3-0, as demonstrated when Kelleher recently made world-class stops to deny Brighton's Georginio Rutter, followed by Aston Villa's Amadou Onana and Diego Carlos, to secure narrow wins for Liverpool.

And if you were to extend this benchmark to all competitions, Kelleher has actually prevented 4.5 goals in 10 games, compared to Alisson's 2.6 in his eight games, with crucially neither player making a mistake in which match has led to a goal. .

Will Alisson 'Slot' return straight to Liverpool's line-up?

Slot has been unequivocal throughout on his goalkeeping pecking order, confirming after Liverpool's win over Villa before the international break: “Alisson is and will be our number one goalkeeper when he is fit.

“Caoimhin performed excellently last season and this season as well. But once Alisson is fit, he will be our first goalkeeper.”

And despite Kelleher crucially saving Mbappe's penalty at Anfield on Wednesday – prompting former Liverpool striker Steve McManaman to comment: “Kelleher is not a number two, he is a number 1 on an equal footing” – the Reds boss's position: “Every decision is a difficult one, but I think I've been clear about that. But tonight should be about Caoimhin who is so important to us.

“It was a big moment for him. You see Mbappé behind the ball and I thought what everyone was thinking: 'this will probably go in'. But he saved it. A special moment for Caoimhin. That should have been the header instead of what I wanted.” was clear a few weeks ago.”

However, in terms of both the actual eye test – Kelleher made a big impression when covering Alisson for extended periods last season and this one – and the actual raw data, there is a strong argument that Liverpool would lose nothing by staying loyal to the Irishman and goes with the age-old mantra of 'never change a winning team'.