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Alisson on Settling in at Liverpool After Roma Move: 'I Feel Very Much at Home'
March 25, 2019
Alisson has said he is "really happy" at Liverpool and explained that learning English and adjusting to the Liverpool accent has been crucial to him settling in on Merseyside.
The Brazil No. 1 moved to Liverpool from Roma for €75 million (£66.8 million) last summer, and he has been crucial to the Reds' Premier League title challenge and progress to the last eight of the UEFA Champions League.
Alisson has kept 17 clean sheets for leaders Liverpool in the English top flight this season and is on track to win the Premier League Golden Glove:
The 26-year-old believes learning to communicate properly with his Liverpool team-mates has been crucial to his success in his debut season at Anfield, per Liverpool's official magazine (h/t Sam Williams of LiverpoolFC.com):
"I have been having regular English lessons. One of the hardest challenges I had at the start was getting used to the accent, not just the British accent but the Liverpool accent. But I've managed to deal with this. I can understand people and I can communicate with my team-mates, which is really important.
"Above all I feel at home here. Home is where the heart is and where the family is. My family is here, my daughter and my wife live here and my parents come when they can. My brother lives in Portugal, which is not too far, and comes when he can. That helps when I'm missing them. When I think abut Brazil, I miss it a lot, but I have been welcomed here and I feel very much at home.
"The whole group received me very well. The fans have been very kind too, as have the technical team, so I'm really happy here in Liverpool."
Alisson is on international duty with Brazil. He did not play in their 1-1 friendly draw with Panama on Saturday but could be in action against Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Liverpool return to action on Sunday with a crucial Premier League game at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
Jurgen Klopp's side could have dropped down to second in the table by then as Manchester City visit potentially Championship-bound Fulham on Saturday:
A visit to relegation-battling Southampton is then followed by a home clash with Chelsea in the league, which comes either side of Liverpool's first and second legs with Porto in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The meetings with Spurs and Chelsea could be season-defining for Liverpool as they look to win a first league title since 1990.
Both sides are more than capable of causing problems for the Reds and are embroiled in a fierce battle for the top four.
Due to City's game in hand over Liverpool, the destination of the title is not in the hands of the Merseyside club.
But if they can pick up maximum points from their next three league games, Liverpool will have put themselves in a very strong position as they will have no more games left to play against top-six sides.
City, meanwhile, have back-to-back games against Spurs and Manchester United in late April.
Alisson's continuing good form will be vital for Liverpool in their battle for the title as they have built their challenge on a frugal back line, which has conceded just 18 goals all season.