Alisson created 'difficulty' for Roberto De Zerbi with new tactic

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi says Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker made life difficult for him earlier this season. Jurgen Klopp tried something a little new.

Roberto De Zerbi's stock is sky-high right now after working wonders with Brighton over the last year and a half. The Italian is suddenly one of the most talked-about managers around.

De Zerbi has excelled tactically, turning the Seagulls into one of the most efficient and thought-out teams in the Premier League. He was recently asked all about it in an interview for Brescia Today in his home country.

He essentially claims that Serie A is a more tactical league than the English top flight, though he continues to see evolutions. De Zerbi even gave an example - goalkeepers are having more and more influence.

"Today [the goalkeeper] is becoming a more involved player on the field in the buildup," he explained, per Sport Italia. "Take the example of two games played this year by my Brighton, against Liverpool and Manchester City.

"I had prepared the defensive phase, in both cases, going man on man. However, [Jurgen] Klopp and [Pep] Guardiola moved the goalkeeper up a lot compared to the penalty area, turning him into an outfield player and creating difficulty for me."

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Alisson is, along with Manchester City's Ederson, a perfect example of the advanced, modern goalkeeper. He's more than happy to get involved with buildup which, as De Zerbi points out, creates a free-man against man-to-man marking systems.

The fact that the Brazilian can offer that while also sitting at the top of the save-percentage charts in the Premier League is simply remarkable. Liverpool have, in many estimations, the world's best goalkeeper in Alisson.

He's essentially irreplaceable at this point. With more and more asked of goalkeepers, teams are inclined to accept sacrifices in the position. Maybe he's not the world's best shot-stopper but he's fantastic with his feet - or vice-versa.

Liverpool have somehow ended up with the most well-rounded goalkeeper on the planet. There's not really anyone like Alisson, tactically or individually.