Alisson Becker: We have to keep showing more of that desire
Alisson Becker feels there is plenty for Liverpool to carry forward into the rest of the season from Sunday's 2-2 draw with Arsenal.
The Reds battled back from falling two goals behind inside the opening half-hour of a hugely intense Premier League clash at Anfield.
Mohamed Salah’s close-range finish halved the deficit established by Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus efforts, before Jürgen Klopp’s side mounted growing pressure after the break.
After Salah sent a penalty wide, substitute Roberto Firmino headed in an equaliser, and Liverpool were then twice denied a winner by Aaron Ramsdale late on.
Alisson analysed a frantic encounter when speaking to Liverpoolfc.com post-match, with the Brazilian stressing the importance of reproducing the spirit showed across the final nine games.
Read the interview below…
On his assessment of the contest and whether the overriding feeling was frustration not to win…
For what we did on the pitch, the chances we created, of course we go out here with a feeling that we could have won the match. But we have to be realistic; they started the match really well, scoring two goals. It’s really difficult in the Premier League to start behind and get back to the result that you need. Scoring two goals was great and creating more chances, but after the circumstances of the match we take the point that can help us during the rest of the season.
On the lessons Liverpool can take away from the game after going 2-0 down…
More than learn with the mistakes, we need to start to look as well to the positive things and take the good side – that is starting 2-0 down and then coming back to 2-2 and playing the game we played in the second half against the top of the league, against a great side. For the second half they didn’t know how to deal with us during the game; of course they had situations but we defended well in the second half. So, we take the positives from today and start to work for the next challenge.
On the belief the team had at half-time that they could turn the match around…
Scoring the first goal was the start of everything. When we scored, the crowd came together as well and helped the team and pushed the team – everybody knows how Anfield is when the crowd is playing together with you. They show a reaction on what we do on the pitch, so we have to do more of that, we have to show more desire every game – as we did in the second half – consistently. We know what we have to do, everybody comes here and says the things we have to do; it’s really easy to say but not too easy to make those things happen, football is not anything magic, that you can just go there and think that things are going the way you want. You have to fight for that, it’s what we are doing: preparing ourselves, training hard and going to the games showing the desire to make it different and to win the games.
On the mentality being to try to win every fixture left in the season and see where it leads…
That’s the thinking, we have to think of the next challenge we have in front of us. It was like that when we were fighting for titles and it’s the same now. We have to look to the next opponent that we have in front of us, not only look to the table and cheer for teams to lose points. Of course, we need that but we have to look to ourselves and deal with our struggles and keep the good things we are doing. Thiago is back today as well, it was a great thing. Luis [Diaz] is close as well. Good to have those players back, they give power and strength for the team, and quality. We take these things and carry on.