Alisson trains with rugby crash pads before Palace fixture

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has been training with rugby crash pads in preparation for tonight’s clash with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, as reported by the Mirror.

Jurgen Klopp explained the idea behind the unusual training technique, which has been necessitated by the “scrum” mentality that often occurs in Premier League penalty areas.

“Set pieces are quite different here – it makes sense to do it because the six yard area is not a safety box, but rather (just) a proposal!”

Alisson arrived from Roma for a reported £66m price tag and was very briefly the most expensive goalkeeper in the world before Chelsea signed Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao. Klopp was keen to praise his new goalkeeper in the build-up to the Monday night match with Palace, and spoke about the physical threat posed by Roy Hodgson’s team.

READ: Roberto Firmino confident Liverpool can fight for the Premier League title this season.

 

DUBLIN, IRELAND – AUGUST 04: Alisson Becker of Liverpool during the international friendly game between Liverpool and Napoli at Aviva Stadium on August 4, 2018 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

READ: Marko Grujic set to sign season-long loan with Hertha Berlin.

“First of all we brought him here because of the things that he is already good at. That is what we want him to do.”

“[The training] is not really rugby, it is goalkeeper training. All the boys did it. When Loris came he did it, all the goalkeepers do it, and Alisson is doing it as well, of course.”

“We have these situations in training constantly when we do set pieces the box is full with 22 players. Maybe that is a bit much, but 15 certainly. It is busy, we do it often so that the goalkeeper gets used to that.

“It is all about timing. We will see how that is, but it is not that the goalkeeper has to change completely now for this league, we have to help him too in situations. That is how it is always is.”

Despite featuring the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, Liverpool’s squad is one of the shortest in the Premier League – Klopp suggested that this issue can be overcome with intelligent set piece play.

“In the West Ham game we were not taller than them, but the opposite. That is where we have to rely on our eye to defend set pieces. It is all about timing.

“There is not just one player responsible for something – we have to have the right formation around set pieces. So far it was absolutely ok. But it is not solely about Alisson, but the whole team.”

Klopp may rotate his team slightly tonight in an attempt to negate Palace’s height advantage, with Matip available again and Fabinho still waiting to make his Premier League debut.

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Source: anfieldhq.com