NewsAlisson Becker on progress under Arne Slot, improvement and once playing in midfield

The Reds made it six wins out of seven games under the new head coach by beating West Ham United 5-1 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

Alisson sat out that Anfield tie due to an injury but appears on course for a return to the pitch when Slot’s side travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday.

Speaking to the BBC’s Football Focus programme, the Brazilian opened up on the positive mood within the squad as they embark on a new era for the club.

“We were great before but Arne is bringing to us a new energy and knowledge. He is a really smart manager and he is helping us a lot. You can see from how we are playing now,” said the goalkeeper.

“We are committed to the plan and can see it is a good plan. We still have a lot to improve but we are in the right direction. We have a big gap to reach for our best but we are doing well so far.”

The No.1, who is part of the leadership group supporting captain Virgil van Dijk and vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, continued: “I am committed to this club 100 per cent and that involves being part of the leadership group.

“We have a lot of young players, new players coming in, a completely new staff.

“When we changed [coach], not everything was going wrong. The challenge for us was to keep the good things, pass these things to the staff and the players coming in, and embrace the good stuff that the new staff are bringing.

“It was a big challenge for this leadership group and I really believe we are doing quite well. We are sharing the responsibility and telling the young players they need to step up as well.

“This club is special and the people who work here are special.”

Alisson is now at the outset of his seventh season with the Reds having arrived from AS Roma in the summer of 2018, and has collected a raft of winner’s medals.

But his appetite for self-improvement is by no means sated; indeed, he believes ‘the best is still to come’ on a personal level.

He said: “I think it is just some inner thing. The main part is hard work. I always like to improve myself. When I do a season that is my best season, this is the standard I need to go further.

“I like to focus on good positioning. If you have that, you are one step in front of the opponent. If you can act before [having to] react, it is better. I try to read the game as well, read the striker, look at his movements. I try to stay focused and looking at the ball. This makes me move the way I move and play the way I play.

“Here at Liverpool, I improved my one-to-one so much because we had so many one-v-one situations. I can react quickly because of the way I train. The best is still to come.”

Whatever does occur in the future, Alisson has already undoubtedly proved himself to be one of the leading goalkeepers of his generation.

So, it is fortunate his single attempt at playing outfield as a youngster did not turn out well.

“My brother [Muriel] knew how hard it was to be a goalkeeper and he told me, ‘No, go and play striker, play somewhere else – you will suffer too much,’” the 31-year-old recalled.

“I did one session in midfield and then said, ‘No, not for me.’

“I enjoyed watching him [Muriel] between the posts, diving and making saves. I chose the position as well and love to be a goalkeeper.”