Alisson injury is WORSE for Liverpool than it first looks

Since 2018, Alisson Becker has been a world-class asset for the Reds in net, hardly ever putting a foot wrong and occasionally chiming in with a goal or an assist.

But recent years have seen the Brazilian increasingly hampered by injury problems, which now seem to be impacting his ability to continue being Liverpool's No1.

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As with many of Jurgen Klopp's golden generation at Liverpool, Alisson is a player many consider to be the best in his position, alongside Virgil Van Dijk at centre-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back and Mohamed Salah at right-wing.

But while the latter three players all have contract extensions to worry about, Liverpool's problem with Alisson is his increasingly concerning injury record.

Before his arrival at Anfield, the goalkeeper had missed just five games in his six-year career, however since he made the move, he has missed 50 games for club and country.

His last significant injury was during the Spring of last season when he was impacted by his hamstring and he missed 15 games for Liverpool and Brazil, and while two games were missed earlier this season for thigh problems, the return of his hamstring issues against Crystal Palace have sparked widespread concern.

Recent reports suggest that the player will be out of action until after the November international break in six weeks, where he will be sorely missed as Liverpool face Chelsea, Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton (twice), Leverkusen and Aston Villa.

This isn't just a hamstring injury, then. This is now a reoccurring problem and one that could rapidly get out of hand as the Brazilian ages. The fact this is a very similar relatively long-term injury to the one last February suggests this isn't bad luck - it's a serious issue.

The upcoming roles of Kelleher and Jaros

Caoimhin Kelleher spoke out in the September international break about his desire to play first-team football regularly, later commenting on how he hates being considered the best No2 goalkeeper in the world.

However, he may half get his wishes, as Arne Slot will need to rely on his services over the next few weeks.

In addition, while Kelleher was out with illness for last week's win over Crystal Palace, where Alisson collapsed to the floor in pain, academy player Vitezslav Jaros was given his club debut for the remaining 15 minutes of the game - where he made one save and secured Liverpool's sixth clean sheet of the season.

Jaros was on loan last season at Sturm Graz - who recently dealt a killer blow to Pepijn Linders' youthful Salzburg side - and upon returning to Liverpool this season, he impressed Slot throughout preseason and was given the nod as the team's No3 this season.

As the Reds attempt to go as far as they can in all four competitions this season, Kelleher is likely to be handed the responsibility of Liverpool's headline Premier League and Champions League and this could make way for Jaros to play some minutes in the Carabao Cup.

Last season's League Cup success was secured through Jurgen Klopp trusting the club's young talents, and while Slot's arm may be somewhat forced into rotation, the same notion could continue this season with the goalkeepers to ensure Kelleher isn't injured along the way.

Liverpool's summer future-planning masterstroke

Despite the club's summer transfer window appearing to be particularly quiet, as only Federico Chiesa made it through the doors before deadline day, the club invested plenty of time into future-planning the squad.

While Giorgi Mamardashvili can be found playing for Valencia this season, he is on loan from the Reds after they brought him in on a six-year deal for just £29million.

His move split opinion at the time because of the club's lack of movement in recruiting for other positions in need, but once Alisson's age and injury record began to sink in, the club was retrospectively praised for thinking ahead.

The Georgian will not move to Anfield until next season, but for a reasonable price, Liverpool have secured the services of one of the biggest goalkeeping talents in the world, safeguarding the position for the long term, by enabling Alisson to move elsewhere or retire when he feels the time is right.

He was a standout player during the Euros and Liverpool's scouts are keeping a keen eye on him to ensure next season's transition is as smooth as possible.

Further evidence to back up player welfare concerns

In what is set to be the most tightly-packed season in recent memory, as UEFA expanded the size of the Champions League and the domestic season is to be interrupted every four weeks for international breaks, player welfare concerns are headline news.

Originating from a report from FIFPro, the concerns led to rumours of a player strike in the future as games have come every three days much earlier in the schedule this year.

Alisson spoke on the dawn of Liverpool's first Champions League clash against AC Milan at his disapproval of the fact that players were not consulted when the format changes were confirmed.

He was joined by Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal and Manchester City's Rodri who also spoke out about the risks to player welfare, both of whom have subsequently suffered career-changing ACL injuries for their respective teams, which will keep them out for the remainder of the season.

Fortunately, Alisson's injury is purely related to his hamstring, but given this is the second time he has picked up a knock this season, and given the length of his upcoming absence in a crucial run of games for the Reds, his concerns still ring true.

Similar messages of concern will likely continue throughout the season, but nothing has yet been put in place to directly address the issues that players have.

Until then, clubs will simply have to deal with the consequences of playing six games a month alongside player's international duties.