Alisson Becker reveals 'great advantage' Liverpool have despite raft of backroom changes

Liverpool’s goalkeeping department looks very different as the Reds prepare to get their pre-season preparations underway.

Third-choice Adrian is no longer contracted to the club after his contract expired at the end of June. While offered an extension, he is reportedly set to return to Spain and re-join Real Betis.

Meanwhile, long-serving coaches John Achterberg and Jack Robinson have both left the club, with the former joining Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq.

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Liverpool have recruited Fabian Otte as their new head of first team goalkeeper coaching to replace the Achterberg. The German was head of goalkeeping with the USA national team. But Otte is now free to link-up with Arne Slot following the United States’ group-stage exit from Copa America. Elsewhere, Fenway Sports Group have appointed Hans Leitert as their head of global goalkeeping.

Back to the playing ranks, Caoimhin Kelleher’s future is uncertain with the Republic of Ireland international already admitting he is ready to move on and be a number one elsewhere after serving as Alisson Becker’s deputy for the past four years.

With the likes of Vitezslav Jaros, Marcelo Pitaluga and Harvey Davies returning from loan stints, and set to work alongside the incoming Otte for the first time this summer, there will potentially be an opening to work their way up the pecking order under Slot.

In lieu of all the changes, Alisson could well be the one constant in Liverpool’s playing ranks when the new season gets underway - though he won’t report back for pre-season until late-July at the earliest due to his Copa America exploits.

Meanwhile, Claudio Taffarel, who is also away with Brazil at Copa America, is the only one of departing manager Jurgen Klopp’s senior goalkeeping coaches staying on Anfield. Clearly, the Brazilian will be called upon to help maintain some stability heading into a new regime.

And Alisson has praised his compatriot, who won the World Cup as a player with Brazil in 1994, revealing Taffarel’s influence on his efforts to be the best goalkeeper in the world.

“A great advantage that we, the goalkeepers of the national team, have is having Taffarel as our goalkeeping coach,” he said at a press conference, as quoted by Globo. “He passes on all his experience on a daily basis, in our relationship, he helps us a lot.

“Not only because of the quality of his work on the field, but because of the experience of having been a great goalkeeper, of having gone through the things that we are experiencing. It is a great honour and pride to work alongside him.

“Longevity is linked to consistency. I always want to be the best goalkeeper in Brazil, England and the world. Training is essential for that.

“From the moment your career reaches a certain point, you see that other choices make a difference. I have to work really hard to arrive at games well prepared.

“Always play well to convince Dorival to call me up and choose me as number one. The competition is very strong, other goalkeepers are always here too, like Ederson.

“I have focused a lot on consistency, I believe that is the reason why I have been wearing the Brazilian national team jersey for so many years.”

Alisson helped Brazil qualify for the Copa America knockout stages on Tuesday night after clinching a 1-1 draw with Colombia. The match saw him face off against Liverpool team-mate Luis Diaz.

And speaking ahead of the match, Alisson was full of praise for the forward as he warned off the threats his Reds team-mate would post.

“I know Luis Diaz well,” he said. “He is very creative and a great finisher. Lucho is a great person and a star, an excellent player who will pose a threat to any opponent.

“We have to work hard. I believe in the strength of the collective. It is not just one player who will be responsible for neutralising him, but teamwork.”