Alisson: 'Liverpool goalkeeping coach has made me better'

Alisson says he has improved as a player since working with his new goalkeeper coach at Liverpool.

The Brazilian number one has been trained by John Achterberg since signing from Roma in a £67 million ($85.6m) deal over the summer.

Achterberg is Dutch, but joined Liverpool in 2009 when he called time on his playing career. His last stint as a player was an 11-year spell at nearby Tranmere Rovers who he made over 350 appearances for. 

Speaking to Liverpool's official website, Alisson was extremely complimentary of the 47-year-old: “John has proved to be not just a great goalkeeping coach but a great guy, a great person. Since I arrived I’ve noticed he’s loved by all here.

“He leaves me very calm and relaxed on a day-to-day basis and we learn from each other’s work. I’ve pointed out some areas that contribute to his work and likewise he has helped me with things I can improve in on the pitch.

“I believe the relationship between a goalkeeper and the goalkeeping coach needs to be an exchange, with a great deal of trust, and we have been developing this as a team, training together, and I’m getting on great with the other ‘keepers.

“Simon [Mignolet] has been at Liverpool a long time and a long time in the Premier League. He has been helping me a great deal in the day-to-day training and in games.

Alisson is one of a number of highly-rated international keepers in the Premier League. Manchester United's David De Gea starts for Spain while Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris lifted the World Cup for France and Chelsea stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga joined the league's ranks in August. 

And Alisson says the level of quality in England pushes keepers to up their game: "The competition incites us to work harder,” he continued.

“The competition between goalkeepers is healthy; we’ll see at the end of the season who has helped their team the most. This benefits the clubs and the Premier League.

“Every week of games we see wonderful saves by great goalkeepers and I believe I’m the new boy among them so I’ve got a lot to prove in the Premier League. I’ll continue working hard to demonstrate my potential on the pitch, contributing to a winning team.”