Jason McAteer says he ‘just can’t protect’ Alisson Becker after the Liverpool goalkeeper’s error during his side’s 2-2 draw against Wolves in the FA Cup third-round on Saturday.
Whatever gift(s) Goncalo Guedes received at Christmas, well, he just got a pretty late one via the feet of Liverpool’s number one, who had a brain fade at Anfield.
The Reds already have had their issues this season, no more so than in the middle of the mark and from a defensive aspect.
Therefore, it doesn’t help when your keeper is passing the ball straight to an opponent, who had an open net to score the first goal of the game.
Whilst the Anfield faithful watched Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunez combine in the most outstanding of fashions to level the scores, they just continued to concede chance after chance, including perhaps what should have been the winning goal to Toti Gomes.
Despite having his Liverpool glasses on, McAteer admitted that he couldn’t even defend Alisson for his costly actions which now means that they have to deal with an unwanted FA Cup replay, as he told beIN SPORTS (07/01/23 at 8:55 pm).
“We saw one from de Gea, now that one was a shocker, but this one is worse,” said McAteer. “I know I like to protect my boys, but I just can’t protect him.
“First of all, Thiago plays his part as well. He tries to dribble out from a really poor area. Alisson gives him the ball. Why doesn’t he just come to the left there where he has got men in Robertson and Gakpo? No, he tries to do a stepover and puts himself in trouble and then Alisson ends up back with the ball.
“I don’t know what he’s thinking because you can’t play through players. You play around them or over them. That’s what he has tried to do and he has been punished by conceding a goal and I can’t defend him because it was sloppy and poor.”
ALISSON HAS BEEN ONE OF LIVERPOOL’S BEST PLAYERS
It’s another game for Liverpool in an already-packed schedule, so yesterday’s draw doesn’t help, nor does it help the form of the team.
But someone like Alisson could probably be excused for his mistake because it could be argued that he has been his side’s best player this season.
Many players have been off-colour for the Reds, but not Alisson, who has probably saved them from more misery.
Source: hitc.com
