It was a game to forget for pretty much all Liverpool fans as Aston Villa put seven past a helpless Adrian to hand Jurgen Klopp the worst defeat of his managerial career. While there were plenty of mistakes on the pitch, many fans and pundits have highlighted Adrian’s malaise in goal.
The Spaniard deputised for Liverpool with Alisson Becker unavailable due to a shoulder injury he picked up in training. Klopp has already stated that the Brazilian could be out for a few weeks, which means Adrian is likely to continue in goal even after the international break.
The fixtures this season will come thick and fast, so Adrian could play in some more games than he normally would have, and that is a cause for concern.
It is the deadline day, and unsurprisingly, Liverpool were linked with a move for Paulo Gazzaniga before Paul Gorst of the Liverpool ECHO reported that the Alisson injury will not force Liverpool’s hand. But are they taking a step back by not dealing with a problematic area?
Liverpool’s goalkeeping situation could be an issue this season
This is not to say that Alisson would have possibly helped Liverpool concede fewer goals on Sunday against Aston Villa. Liverpool’s goalkeeping department has been one of their strengths in recent seasons. But Alisson has been a large aspect of that.
While Adrian more or less did well last season as the stand-in goalkeeper when Alisson picked up an injury, there is no question he was targeted by opposition players. Attackers pressed the Spaniard when Liverpool tried to play out from the back, and Aston Villa did the same on Sunday night which resulted in the opening goal of the game.
Last season, Adrian played 11 times in the league, and managed just two shutouts. In Alisson’s absence, the organisation with the goalkeeper and the back four just wasn’t the same. After Alisson’s return, Liverpool picked up a lot more clean-sheets, and the Brazilian, despite missing 11 games, was just three shutouts away from Ederson who finished with 16 and the golden glove award.
Adrian is a pretty good shot-stopper, but to replace Alisson, you need to be the complete package; a good organiser of the defence by being vocal, and excellent with the ball at your feet. Does Adrian tick those two boxes? Not based on the mistakes he has committed and the overall defensive performances of the team.
Another area where the Spaniard falls short is his agility. With Liverpool’s incredibly high line, Alisson has often come put to bail his defenders against balls played in behind the back four. Adrian doesn’t have the same speed at the age of 33.
This has turned into a bit of a bashing, and the intension is not to do that. When you play for the champions, even small mistakes will always put the focus on you. Unfortunately for Adrian, he has made too many of them. Gazzaniga stepped up in a similar situation at Tottenham last season as Hugo Lloris was injured for a few months after suffering a horrible injury.
The Argentine was assured with his passing, and was a reliable figure at the back when it came to his shot-stopping. Whether or not he can correct Adrian’s wrongs is the biggest question. And will Tottenham, under someone like Jose Mourinho, really sell to their rivals? Not really.
Liverpool are likely to back Adrian, and not sign a replacement, but if the Spaniard does not convince against Everton in their next game, we could very well see Caoimhin Kelleher in goal before Alisson makes his return. The club should sign a better replacement for Alisson, and their stubbornness could cost them some points in the Premier League, and potentially in Europe, as it did last season against Atletico Madrid.