Alisson Injury

Arne Slot’s Liverpool once again came away with three Premier League points thanks to an early Diogo Jota finish to help the Reds’ to a 1-0 win away to Crystal Palace. However, this time they did not escape unscathed, as in the 79th minute of time, goalkeeper Alisson went down in his area after feeling apparent discomfort after a clearance.

🚨⚠️ Van Dijk: “Alisson's injury doesn't look good”.

“It looks like a hamstring injury which was already bothering him, and from which he recovered”. pic.twitter.com/6y0pUoahui
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 5, 2024

The Brazilian was in clear distress while grounded and receiving medical attention, and when asked about the extent of the injury following the game, manager Slot stated that he would be out for at least a few weeks.

Missing normal backup goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher through illness for the trip to London, 23 year-old Vitezslav Jaros made an unexpected debut for the club, and kept a clean sheet in the 10 minutes he was on the field.

Appreciation post for 23 year-old Vitezslav Jaros 👏

Came on with ten minutes to play for the injured Alisson and didn’t put a foot wrong. Been with Liverpool since 2017 and had a perfect debut today ❤️ pic.twitter.com/tRX5TGZANE
— Rising Ballers (@RisingBallers_) October 5, 2024

Despite the apparent capability of their backup goalkeepers, the injury to the Brazilian number one could not have come at a worse time. With some massive fixtures coming up in the next month or so, their fortunes could pan out very differently too their current form without their starting keeper.

Liverpool’s Recent Form

In the 8 games that Alisson has started this season, Liverpool have been impressive at the back, keeping five clean sheets and conceding just four goals.

Towards the end of Jurgen Klopp’s last season, it became clear that Liverpool needed to shore up in defense if they were to mount a legitimate title challenge this season, and under new manager Arne Slot, it seems that particular issue has been effectively addressed.

So far they have beaten Ipswich, Manchester United, Brentford, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace to nil in the league, and also emerged with a clean sheet victory against Bologna in the Champions League. Also beating West Ham, Wolves and AC Milan and reducing them to one goal, it has been an almost perfect start for the new boss.

Arne makes Reds history winning his first four @premierleague away games 👊 pic.twitter.com/oUyImSyfMh
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 6, 2024

With a centre-back pairing of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk in front of the imposing Alisson, and a re-invigorated Ryan Gravenberch doing the leg work in front of them, Liverpool have at times looked totally impregnable.

However, a big part of that has been down to Alisson’s world class shot stopping, and now they have suddenly been reduced of their first choice stopper, Liverpool have an unexpected long term problem.

After a relatively straightforward run of games to get their season up and running, the Reds’ now have a challenging fixture list that stretches over the next month and half.

Liverpool's Upcoming Fixtures

Upcoming fixtures of Liverpool is not an easy run .

Arne slots and red real challenge if we want to win the trophy 🏆
href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LFC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LFC #LiverpoolFC #YNWA pic.twitter.com/yOcCqywTqB
— DJ13 (@LFC_DJ13) October 4, 2024

Their next game sees them up against a free-scoring, in-form Chelsea side, and without Alisson’s presence between the sticks, Liverpool will suddenly feel exposed to their electric attacking threat.

They then face a talented RB Leipzig side containing the likes of Benjamin Sesko, Xavi Simons and Antonio Nusa up front, before taking on certified title challengers Arsenal who also find themselves in a rich vein of goalscoring form.

They then face a talented Brighton side twice in three days in the Carabao Cup and Premier League respectively, before hosting last seasons Bundesliga invincibles Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League and a high flying Aston Villa side, before reaching the November international break, which is the earliest they expect Alisson to be back.

If he is still not fit to return after the international break, Liverpool have a harsh return to their fixture list, facing reigning UCL champions Real Madrid followed by a home game against a seemingly unbeatable Manchester City.

These games certainly pose an unprecedented challenge. Any team going into arguably its toughest run of fixtures across the whole season without their number one goalkeeper would be hard pushed to come out with credit. However for Liverpool, with Alisson’s considerable influence over how the team plays, they may have to change strategies entirely.

How Will Liverpool Cope Without Alisson?

Caoimhin Kelleher is the most obvious replacement for Alisson, and he has a history of being a more than adequate replacement.

The hero in the EFL Cup final last season against Chelsea, he made countless crucial saves while sitting behind a severely depleted Liverpool team, missing almost a whole starting eleven worth of first team players.

Save after save after save.

Take a bow, Caoimhin Kelleher 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Hjq9gXh4lK
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 26, 2024

With the international break coming up, Kelleher should have ample time to recover from whatever illness forced him to miss the squad for the Crystal Palace game, and return to liverpool’s starting eleven as a more than capable stand-in.

However, when placed alongside his injured colleague, arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, the contrast is night and day. His distribution, while good, isn’t in the same league as the brazilian’s and Liverpool need to change their tactics to suit their backup keeper.

Similar to his compatriot Ederson, Alisson acts as another center back when Liverpool are in possession, creating options further up the pitch. With Kelleher, who prefers to stay in his own box, Liverpool’s build up will be significantly altered, and they will need to take a more patient approach of passing it out from the back instead of moving it from back to front in a flash.

While Slot’s Liverpool squad is more than capable of pulling this off, it is not their go-to tactic, there will be a certain amount of unfamiliarity about it, which could see them struggle and made vulnerable against sides such as Chelsea, Arsenal and potentially even Manchester City and Real Madrid if Alisson has still not returned.

Should Kelleher also find himself unavailable again, then Slot will turn to the recently introduced Jaros in goal, currently an unknown quantity, and who knows how much further this move will affect their play.

Liverpool still stand a chance of picking up good points from their upcoming games, but with Alisson gone, it seems their defense is likely to be significantly less water-tight than it has been in the early season.

Kelleher now has the chance to prove all of his doubters wrong, and if he and Slot’s immensely talented Liverpool side can come out of this run with genuine credit, then it will be time to seriously consider their chances at challenging for their second Premier League title.