[ad_1]
Kelleher gets ahead of Adrian
What an extraordinary four days for Caoimhin Kelleher.
On Saturday, the Liverpool goalkeeper was hit seven times by Manchester City while playing for the U23.
Fast-forward to Tuesday night, and a clean sheet on his European debut could well have cemented the 22-year-old’s place as Liverpool’s new second-choice goalkeeper.
Opportunity knocked on the door after Jurgen Klopp took another injury hit with Alisson Becker, whose durability is now in doubt, out of the game for up to fifteen days with a hamstring discomfort.
If there was little surprise that another Liverpool player got lame, Klopp turning to Kelleher instead of Adrian was truly unexpected.
Surprisingly, the Irishman was making his first Champions League appearance exactly 18 months after claiming a championship medal as an unused substitute in Madrid against Tottenham Hotspur.
Kelleher’s performance made it easy to forget that this was just a fifth senior start, with saves from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Noussair Mazraoui underscoring the shot-stopping prowess that has regularly shone at the Academy level.
However, it was the Irishman’s composure with the ball, a key tenet of Klopp’s Liverpool, that persuaded the Reds manager to give him the go-ahead, a faith that was handsomely rewarded.
With a clean sheet, Kelleher could have reshaped the Reds’ goalkeeping hierarchy forever.
Gini not without bottle
As a former PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord player, Gini Wijnaldum would have enjoyed this opportunity to test his wits against the most decorated club in the Netherlands.
Which is fine given that the Liverpool midfielder has no choice but to line up right now.
The long list of absences in the center of the team meant that this was a seventh consecutive start for Wijnaldum.
In fact, only Andy Robertson has played more minutes for Liverpool this season.
Wijnaldum did what he always does, diligently putting the team first and diligently accomplishing his tasks with minimal fuss, allowing vocal captain Jordan Henderson and match winner Curtis Jones to garner greater attention alongside him.
But as if to show that his engine and energy levels remain intact despite the heavy workload, it was the Dutchman chasing the Ajax defense during injury time and keeping the ball as far away as possible from the goalkeeper’s goal. Reds.
With time running out on his contract, the evidence from the campaign so far suggests that Wijnaldum is determined to get out of Anfield in a big way.
However, if there is any way Liverpool can persuade him to stay, they simply have to.
Premier League champions Liverpool are defending their crown this season, and it will be hectic.
However, it is one that we will keep you updated with all the time. You won’t miss a thing with our free Liverpool FC newsletter.
Follow the latest news from Melwood and Liverpool’s preseason preparations with updates from Paul Gorst, Ian Doyle and the rest of the ECHO team.
You will also receive an additional weekly newsletter with the latest behind-the-scenes news at Paul’s Melwood.
How do I sign up?
It is free, easy and very fast.
- First, click this link to our newsletter subscription center.
- Once you’re there, put your email address where it says at the top, then click on the Liverpool FC newsletter. There are also others if you want them.
- When you’ve made your choice, hit the Update Preference button at the bottom.
That’s! Your emails will arrive in your inbox from then on. It’s that easy.
Defense wins praise
Given the lack of assistance from elsewhere, Liverpool could not afford to pass up the opportunity to help themselves.
It is not surprising, then, that Jurgen Klopp was very satisfied in his team, for the first time under his tutelage, avoiding a confrontation in the last game to obtain the classification of his group of the Champions League.
Ajax, who only made their second visit to Anfield, had shown their attacking threat during Liverpool’s victory in Amsterdam in the first group match in October.
And the visitors would have been encouraged to see the Reds losing four of their five first-choice running backs, with the entire set in jeopardy of completion during the first half when Andy Robertson fell before being tied up and sent back.
While carpentry intervened on one occasion, the performances of Joel Matip and Fabinho in particular were so fortunate.
Klopp will rely heavily on the duo as their main center-back pair at least until the transfer window opens again in January.
With Europe now on the sidelines until February at the earliest, persuading Matip and Fabinho over the next month could prove crucial in ensuring Liverpool remain at arm’s length at the top of the Premier League until potential reinforcements arrive.
[ad_2]
