Liverpool may have surged ahead to snatch the Premier League crown, leaving Arsenal in its dust, but that hasn’t prevented one of the Gunners’ talents from heaping praise on a Liverpool luminary.
Last month saw Liverpool clinch the title with a resounding 5-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, which catapulted it 15 points clear of Arsenal, who is lodged in second place with only three games remaining.
The Reds didn’t widen their lead to 18 points this past Sunday, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat at Chelsea the day after Arsenal’s 2-1 home loss to Bournemouth. Nonetheless, they’ll get another shot at enhancing their lead this coming weekend when Arne Slot’s squad plays host to Mikel Arteta’s team at Anfield, in what was once earmarked as a potential decider for the league title.
In anticipation of this high-stakes clash, Arsenal’s David Raya has delivered accolades to Liverpool’s No. 1, Alisson Becker.
Hampered by injuries, Alisson has been limited to 32 appearances out of 53 possible matches for the Reds this campaign.
Yet, whenever he’s been on form and fit, the Brazilian international has repeatedly validated why a multitude of fans and pundits hold him in high regard as possibly the top goalkeeper worldwide – a sentiment with which Raya concurs.
In conversation with ex-Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster on Amazon Prime, the Spanish shot-stopper was invited to declare who he considers the world’s elite in his role.
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Without hesitation, Raya acclaimed: “Alisson. Obviously Alisson, (Thibaut) Courtois (of Real Madrid). I really, really like (Gregor) Kobel from Borussia (Dortmund).
“I think Alisson is just…the one vs ones, he saves everything. I don’t know how he does it, he saves every single one on one.”
The 32-year-old has notched up nine Premier League clean sheets this season, yet the race for the Golden Glove appears to be a duel between Raya, with 12, and Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels, who is at the forefront with 13.
When Foster queried Raya about learning from Alisson, he responded: “Of course, you have to have an open mind just to see how can he be so good in one vs ones, what he does.
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“And it’s weird because he’s always so close to the ball, when sometimes you don’t have that time to get close to the ball, and you have to be set and react.
“He reads those situations so well where maybe he’s (an opponent) made the pass or he’s driving with the ball and then the last touch is a bit heavy. So he’s on top there.
“The way he reads things is incredible in those situations. He’s been one of the top goalkeepers in the world for so many years and the quality he has, the experience.
“That’s those things that gives you that extra edge to make one vs one saves.”
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
