Caoimhín Kelleher: “Obviously A Great Mentality Within The Whole Side”
The reserve goalkeeper has been sensational for Liverpool in place of Alisson Becker, and Kelleher praised the mentality of the players in front of him for the win over Nottingham Forest.
Klopp’s Cardiac Kids (trademark pending) were at it again yesterday as a side littered with reserves and youth players left it to the 99th minute to notch a winner against Nottingham Forest. Liverpool weathered some early opportunities from the tricky trees, with Caoimhín Kelleher making a couple of massive stops to keep the score level as he continued to perform at a high level in place of the world class Alisson Becker.
After the match, the Irish goalkeeper praised the mentality of the side that yet again sealed a win with a strong second half performance. The never-say-die attitude was prevalent from the most experienced players all the way through the youngsters from the Academy who have played a huge role over the past few weeks.
“Obviously it’s great fight from the lads to stay in it until the very end and I think we got our reward,” said Kelleher.
“I think we deserved to win, definitely, on the balance of play, so yeah, delighted with the win. Obviously a great mentality within the whole squad, even the youngsters, and we just have that fight and never-give-up attitude and we showed it again, which was pleasing. I know the quality we have going forward so I always have that belief that we will score a goal. So, right up until the very end I had that belief that we were going to get something.”
While Kelleher had faith in the Liverpool attack, he of course was very focused on keeping Nottingham Forest out of the net to ensure his side had a chance at victory.
“It’s always the motivation with myself and the back line, to keep that clean sheet, and then we know that if we keep that we’ve got a great chance of winning with the quality we have up top. So, I’m happy to get another one and hopefully we can keep going with that momentum and get some more.”
Kelleher was asked if his ability to maintain his concentration was a key aspect to performing in net. Unsurprisingly, the goalkeeper believed it has been crucial, especially since so much of matches is played in the opponents half.
“For sure, I think that’s the way it’s always been at Liverpool: you’re not going to have much to do but you probably get that one moment when you need to step up, so thankfully again I was able to do it. It’s the most important thing, that you have to stay concentrated throughout the whole game and try to keep that clean sheet.”
Kelleher also noted that there are no easy matches in the Premier League, especially when playing against sides fighting to stave off relegation. He expects there to be plenty more nervy finishes, but knows he and the Liverpool side will ready to fight all the way to the end.
“Obviously it’s a difficult place to come anyway but when they are fighting for their safety it makes it even more difficult. So, we came here, we ground out the win and that’s all we can do. I think it’s the Premier League: every game is going to be tough, especially coming away from home to places like this, it’s never easy. So, I think we’re going to be in for a few more of them but we’ve showed fight so far so hopefully we can keep going.”
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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