You’ve just gone native, rooting for the Greeks over your own a 😆
I’ll just say it…
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You’ve just gone native, rooting for the Greeks over your own a 😆
View: https://x.com/TeleFootball/status/1858882773592707423
Caoimhin Kelleher is Liverpool’s answer to the Pogues’ perennial Christmas favourite Fairytale of New York; far too good never to be a No 1.
The Irish goalkeeper’s status as an ultra-reliable back-up has been reaffirmed during another impressive first-team run in Alisson Becker’s absence, regardless of his nation’s heavy beating at Wembley last Sunday.
Just before his return to Liverpool’s starting XI following Alisson’s latest hamstring injury, the question put to Kelleher was whether he anticipated getting useful advice from the senior keeper.
“I don’t think so. We are at that stage where he doesn’t need to say anything to me. I know what I need to do,” he said.
Momentarily, the 25-year-old looked like he may have had another, not so polite thought on his mind. Something along the lines of: “I’m not a kid anymore and don’t need anyone to hold my hand when I play for Liverpool.”
Kelleher’s subsequent performances for club and country have underlined such confidence. They have also shown – despite his wishes – that Liverpool were right to stand firm to prevent his departure last summer.
Although it was a source of frustration to Kelleher at the time, no Premier League club valued him more than his own. While Southampton were coughing up £25 million for Arsenal back-up Aaron Ramsdale, Liverpool were scratching their heads wondering why Premier League clubs struggled to believe Kelleher was worth even half that fee.
Liverpool would still have been reluctant sellers, given Alisson’s injury record. Kelleher featured in 26 games last season and has played 55 for the club in all. That is more than some of those who enjoyed a run as the club’s No 1 managed in their entire Liverpool career.
Only six Premier League keepers have kept more clean sheets than Kelleher this season. Not bad considering the Liverpool man has featured in just five league fixtures. He made crucial contributions in victories over Chelsea, Brighton, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa, when the games were in the balance.
Liverpool’s trust in their deputy cannot be overstated. In the years preceding Alisson’s arrival in the summer of 2018, Liverpool had struggled to decide on a first choice, let alone recruit two high-class keepers.
Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp may lament how much more they would have won had they possessed a keeper of Kelleher’s, not just Alisson’s class, in the respective title-chasing season of 2013-14, or 2018 Champions League final.
The club notoriously struggled with able back-ups, the alternatives ranging from the mediocre and the plain awful to the comically bad.
Loris Karius – the understudy to Simon Mignolet who was later promoted to first choice – still takes most criticism for his Champions League final woe against Real Madrid, but the German was comparable to Manuel Neuer when some of his predecessors are considered.
Bottom of the pile is the French keeper Charles Itandje, who turned up for his first day of training in 2008 without any gloves, and Bulgarian Nikolay Mihaylov, who struggled with his eye test during his medical and never received a work permit to make a single appearance.
Then there was luckless Brazilian Alexander Doni, who was all set to deputise for Pepe Reina in the 2012 FA Cup semi-final against Everton. He had one job – to avoid any issues in the preceding game. Unfortunately, Doni was sent off against Blackburn Rovers so missed his chance for glory.
That opened the door for Australian Brad Jones, who despite his success that day has the dubious honour of being Liverpool’s statistically worst keeper since 1992, conceding an average 1.45 goals per game.
By the time Klopp picked Adam Bogdan and saw him twice concede direct from a corner, Liverpool’s scouts were under orders to up their game on the subject of first and second-choice keepers.
Kelleher has set the bar as high as it has been at Anfield since Jerzy Dudek spent the season deputising for Reina 18 years ago, not only impressing with his shot-stopping but his ability to play from the back.
Liverpool’s young keeper averages 32.8 passes per game. That is more than some Premier League midfielders. Everton duo Idrissa Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure, for example, average 32.7 and 28.7 respectively.
Alisson’s imminent return means Kelleher will soon revert to understudy status, missing out on the chance to be Liverpool’s Christmas No 1.
With Georgia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili due to arrive from Valencia next summer, it is an unsustainable position for such a talent, but it will surely be a temporary watching brief.
If he continues to assist Liverpool at the top of the Premier League and Champions League, those who hesitated before will not be guilty of underrating Kelleher again.
Saw some mention in one of the papers today that Chelsea are "preparing a bid" for Kelleher.
That was yesterday's papers.
Today's says they are not.
Which probably says more than enough about what they actually know
It was defo today I saw the reference (back page of a tabloid on the next table in a caff) but I'm sure you're right about the last bit.
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