Liverpool keeper Alisson, a former Roma player, admits Atalanta have not surprised him: ‘They’ve always been a tough nut to crack.’
The Brazilian keeper spoke at a press conference on Wednesday on the eve of a Europa League quarter-final second leg at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo.
Atalanta secured a historic 3-0 win at Anfield last week and will be looking to qualify for the Europa League semis for the first time in the club’s history.
“I did expect Atapanta to be like that ever since I moved to Italy,” Alisson said at a press conference, as quoted by Liverpool Echo.
“Right up until now, Atalanta have always been a tough nut to crack. They are a very physical side, it has always been a tough match to come up against them.
“They play 11 v 11 man-marking all over the pitch, and when you play against a team who do that, you need to make sure you are willing to work hard and run. If you don’t do that it is pointless even going out to play in the first place. They did an outstanding job in the last game; you could see they prepared very well, and in regards to us, we also produced a bad performance.”
Liverpool also lost to Crystal Palace in the Premier League, following their defeat to Atalanta.
“We have to improve our performances, but if I was being more precise, the things we have to do better is we have to go back to keeping clean sheets and scoring the chances we have, the clear chances we have in front of goal,” argued the goalkeeper.
“I’m saying that because I trust a lot my strikeers and defenders and I know the quality we have as a team. If we attack and defend as a team then we can go back to winning games.”
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“Keeping clean sheets is the basis for a successful team; we did that in the past, and in the trophies we won, we were solid defensive-wise. That’s not only depending on the defenders but the whole team; we have to defend together and fight to get the ball back, close gaps, win challenges, block shots, stop crosses, making difficult saves; we have to do that as a team, go back to get the clean sheets. That’s the basis for us, not only for tomorrow but for the rest.”
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp also addressed the media, warning his players and the fans that a three-goal comeback against Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League came in very different circumstances.
Alisson missed the first-leg tie last week but is expected to start in Bergamo tomorrow.
The Brazil international spent two seasons at Roma between 2016 and 2018, making 64 appearances with the Giallorossi. He joined Liverpool in a €72.5m deal including add-ons.