Mohamed Salah's departure will feel like the end of an era. Giorgi Mamardashvili may supersede Alisson Becker and usher him towards the exit door soon too.
Appreciate the work that went into this Andrew. Really helpful to inform an opinion re: squad planning. The year over year drop in save % and relatively poor performance vs. the other world class options (Donnarumma, Courtois) is concerning.
However, given the issues we've wrote about, I'm inclined to chalk it up to one underperforming season as a part of an underperforming team. Let's see what Ali looks like in 2026-27 with a healthier, deeper, more athletic & improved side in front of him.
What really concerns me is the gap between world class GK and the rest. Courtois, Donnarumma & Allison are world class. Raya has improved though he benefits from the defensive solidity of Arsenal's set-up. Garcia looks promising but how would he look against the set piece goon squads of the EPL? And who else? Oblak, maybe but that's it. We don't want to be Chelsea, Spurs or Man U without a world class keeper. Before this season, I would have liked to see Hughes rip up the option year in return for a 2-3year extension.
Great article Andrew. Interesting points on Alisson - very much backs up my eye test.
For me, Alisson is probably the best goalkeeper I’ve seen play for Liverpool, from the latter Ray Clemence years through to now. Possibly the best one-on-one keeper I’ve ever seen.
When we signed Mamardashvili, I did wonder if this would be Alisson’s last season. I’ve been slightly disappointed with Mamardashvili so far, on two counts.
First, his kicking - though in fairness, Alisson’s own distribution has also noticeably declined over the past couple of seasons, so it’s not purely a Mamardashvili issue.
Second, positioning and angles. The best keepers often don’t need to make the spectacular saves because their positioning forces strikers wide. As your article touches on, this is arguably one of those qualities that the available data simply can’t capture - its value is real, but difficult to demonstrate statistically. I’m not always convinced by Mamardashvili’s angles, and getting those right could make a significant difference.
It’s also worth noting how dramatically goalkeeping has changed. The role now demands a level of physicality and aerial dominance not seen for decades, adding a whole new dimension to the skill set required.
As for Alisson, the intelligence is still there. I just wonder if the body can still take him where he needs to be.
Thanks, mate. I never saw Clem but Ali is certainly the best in my time.
Re physicality - Mama should have the edge here. When I reviewed his data last season he was great at claiming the ball. As with many things along these lines, that may be easier in Spain than in England though.
It’s a team problem as much as a Mama problem. I’m loathe to assess positioning THIS season but for Mama to work long term, the defence needs to be structured to drop low VERY quick. Old school ‘build-a-wall’ defence’ on recovery.
Alisson is declining, but in a different way to the numbers suggest. The drop in save percentage and goals prevented tells one story; that he’s no longer as effective.
The more important shift sits underneath the data. Liverpool are conceding higher quality chances, which will drag down any goalkeeper’s output, and at the same time Alisson is no longer consistently providing the non-shot-stopping value that once made that exposure manageable. His sweeping, his distribution, and crucially his availability through recurring hamstring issues have all softened.
That’s why this is less an individual problem and more a team one. If the structure in front of the goalkeeper is allowing clearer chances, and the goalkeeper is no longer reliably compensating for that through elite sweeping and build-up control, the system itself starts to break down. The data supports that interpretation. Two different goalkeepers, different profiles, similar underwhelming surface outcomes. That points to environment, not just execution.
This is why Mamardashvili needs to be assessed differently. His distribution is not at the level required to replicate Alisson’s role, and isn’t a natural sweeper. What he offers is physical reliability and shot-stopping that is not affected by the same age or injury curve. He is in his prime, and his core skill — dealing with the final action — remains intact.
However, integrating him is not a like-for-like change. It will require a shift in how Liverpool defend. You cannot ask him to play in the same system and expect the same outcomes. The defence and midfield have to be structured to protect him. That means a more measured high press, quicker recovery into shape when the first line is broken, and profiles across defence and midfield that prioritise mobility, positioning and transition awareness over front-foot aggression.
The trade-off is obvious. You lose some of the early prevention that comes with an elite sweeper-keeper and accept more situations will reach the box. But if the structure is right, those situations can be controlled, and they become actions Mamardashvili is built to handle. It shifts responsibility away from the goalkeeper as a problem-solver and distributes it across the team.
The decision is not simply whether Alisson is still the better goalkeeper. The real question is whether Liverpool want to continue with a model that depends heavily on a goalkeeper whose availability and all-round influence are trending down, or transition toward one that is less dependent on that profile altogether. If it’s the latter, then integrating Mamardashvili isn’t just logical — it’s necessary.
The other option of course is that they don't renew Ali and decide Mana isn't the solution so get somebody else in. We could list the reasons why (distribution, shot stopping etc).
The argument conversely could be made that Mana may have the right profile for a more aerially intense and physical league. Is there any publically available data on how successful Mama and Ali are on aerial claims, punches, handling etc?
That said, if this is true, this would likely be chance. The way Newcastle bullied in the Caracao final last season was an early warning sign that the side lacked physicality. And then the club bought Wirtz and Frimpong!
Physicality matters, but it’s being overused as the explanation.
If your box is under pressure, aerial ability and presence help. But those moments are usually the result of something earlier — poor pressure on the crosser, stretched rest defence, bad spacing. Physicality can stabilise it, but it doesn’t fix it.
Take Newcastle. That wasn’t just “they were bigger.” It was structural due to second balls, delivery, spacing. The duels just exposed it.
Wirtz and Frimpong point the other way. They’re there to reduce duels through control, not win them.
Lose structure and the game becomes physical. Maintain it and you dictate terms.
Interestingly, Slot has name-checked Mamardashvili, saying that elsewhere he would be first choice. Personally, not so sure. He seems excellent at shot-stopping and probably better than Alisson at saving penalties. Yet his kicking seems quite poor by modern standards, regardless of whether players are passing it to his wrong foot.
Indeed, a part of me wonders whether Liverpool have a buy back clause on Kelleher. Given how he has done this season, how much that experience will benefit him, I can't shake the feeling that he would be Alisson's ideal successor.
I’ll share his figures when they’re in front of me but I noticed Kelleher is below par for saving xG on target too. Maybe it’s all just a result of this crazy Premier League season.
I think the problem in replacing Allison is that Marmad is left footed and it takes time for the back and gk to get used to this, maybe this is why he’s lost 5of the 6 games he’s played for us 🤔
There might be a second goalkeeper piece later this week but I need to collect some data to test first...
Appreciate the work that went into this Andrew. Really helpful to inform an opinion re: squad planning. The year over year drop in save % and relatively poor performance vs. the other world class options (Donnarumma, Courtois) is concerning.
However, given the issues we've wrote about, I'm inclined to chalk it up to one underperforming season as a part of an underperforming team. Let's see what Ali looks like in 2026-27 with a healthier, deeper, more athletic & improved side in front of him.
What really concerns me is the gap between world class GK and the rest. Courtois, Donnarumma & Allison are world class. Raya has improved though he benefits from the defensive solidity of Arsenal's set-up. Garcia looks promising but how would he look against the set piece goon squads of the EPL? And who else? Oblak, maybe but that's it. We don't want to be Chelsea, Spurs or Man U without a world class keeper. Before this season, I would have liked to see Hughes rip up the option year in return for a 2-3year extension.
Great article Andrew. Interesting points on Alisson - very much backs up my eye test.
For me, Alisson is probably the best goalkeeper I’ve seen play for Liverpool, from the latter Ray Clemence years through to now. Possibly the best one-on-one keeper I’ve ever seen.
When we signed Mamardashvili, I did wonder if this would be Alisson’s last season. I’ve been slightly disappointed with Mamardashvili so far, on two counts.
First, his kicking - though in fairness, Alisson’s own distribution has also noticeably declined over the past couple of seasons, so it’s not purely a Mamardashvili issue.
Second, positioning and angles. The best keepers often don’t need to make the spectacular saves because their positioning forces strikers wide. As your article touches on, this is arguably one of those qualities that the available data simply can’t capture - its value is real, but difficult to demonstrate statistically. I’m not always convinced by Mamardashvili’s angles, and getting those right could make a significant difference.
It’s also worth noting how dramatically goalkeeping has changed. The role now demands a level of physicality and aerial dominance not seen for decades, adding a whole new dimension to the skill set required.
As for Alisson, the intelligence is still there. I just wonder if the body can still take him where he needs to be.
Thanks, mate. I never saw Clem but Ali is certainly the best in my time.
Re physicality - Mama should have the edge here. When I reviewed his data last season he was great at claiming the ball. As with many things along these lines, that may be easier in Spain than in England though.
It’s a team problem as much as a Mama problem. I’m loathe to assess positioning THIS season but for Mama to work long term, the defence needs to be structured to drop low VERY quick. Old school ‘build-a-wall’ defence’ on recovery.
Alisson is declining, but in a different way to the numbers suggest. The drop in save percentage and goals prevented tells one story; that he’s no longer as effective.
The more important shift sits underneath the data. Liverpool are conceding higher quality chances, which will drag down any goalkeeper’s output, and at the same time Alisson is no longer consistently providing the non-shot-stopping value that once made that exposure manageable. His sweeping, his distribution, and crucially his availability through recurring hamstring issues have all softened.
That’s why this is less an individual problem and more a team one. If the structure in front of the goalkeeper is allowing clearer chances, and the goalkeeper is no longer reliably compensating for that through elite sweeping and build-up control, the system itself starts to break down. The data supports that interpretation. Two different goalkeepers, different profiles, similar underwhelming surface outcomes. That points to environment, not just execution.
This is why Mamardashvili needs to be assessed differently. His distribution is not at the level required to replicate Alisson’s role, and isn’t a natural sweeper. What he offers is physical reliability and shot-stopping that is not affected by the same age or injury curve. He is in his prime, and his core skill — dealing with the final action — remains intact.
However, integrating him is not a like-for-like change. It will require a shift in how Liverpool defend. You cannot ask him to play in the same system and expect the same outcomes. The defence and midfield have to be structured to protect him. That means a more measured high press, quicker recovery into shape when the first line is broken, and profiles across defence and midfield that prioritise mobility, positioning and transition awareness over front-foot aggression.
The trade-off is obvious. You lose some of the early prevention that comes with an elite sweeper-keeper and accept more situations will reach the box. But if the structure is right, those situations can be controlled, and they become actions Mamardashvili is built to handle. It shifts responsibility away from the goalkeeper as a problem-solver and distributes it across the team.
The decision is not simply whether Alisson is still the better goalkeeper. The real question is whether Liverpool want to continue with a model that depends heavily on a goalkeeper whose availability and all-round influence are trending down, or transition toward one that is less dependent on that profile altogether. If it’s the latter, then integrating Mamardashvili isn’t just logical — it’s necessary.
The other option of course is that they don't renew Ali and decide Mana isn't the solution so get somebody else in. We could list the reasons why (distribution, shot stopping etc).
The argument conversely could be made that Mana may have the right profile for a more aerially intense and physical league. Is there any publically available data on how successful Mama and Ali are on aerial claims, punches, handling etc?
That said, if this is true, this would likely be chance. The way Newcastle bullied in the Caracao final last season was an early warning sign that the side lacked physicality. And then the club bought Wirtz and Frimpong!
My guess at this point is that Ali remains as #1 next season but isn’t renewed beyond that.
I wouldn’t be surprised, but my gut tells me that they will throw Mamardashvilli into the deep end a lot more. Alisson’s hamstrings…
Physicality matters, but it’s being overused as the explanation.
If your box is under pressure, aerial ability and presence help. But those moments are usually the result of something earlier — poor pressure on the crosser, stretched rest defence, bad spacing. Physicality can stabilise it, but it doesn’t fix it.
Take Newcastle. That wasn’t just “they were bigger.” It was structural due to second balls, delivery, spacing. The duels just exposed it.
Wirtz and Frimpong point the other way. They’re there to reduce duels through control, not win them.
Lose structure and the game becomes physical. Maintain it and you dictate terms.
Interestingly, Slot has name-checked Mamardashvili, saying that elsewhere he would be first choice. Personally, not so sure. He seems excellent at shot-stopping and probably better than Alisson at saving penalties. Yet his kicking seems quite poor by modern standards, regardless of whether players are passing it to his wrong foot.
Indeed, a part of me wonders whether Liverpool have a buy back clause on Kelleher. Given how he has done this season, how much that experience will benefit him, I can't shake the feeling that he would be Alisson's ideal successor.
I’ll share his figures when they’re in front of me but I noticed Kelleher is below par for saving xG on target too. Maybe it’s all just a result of this crazy Premier League season.
I think the problem in replacing Allison is that Marmad is left footed and it takes time for the back and gk to get used to this, maybe this is why he’s lost 5of the 6 games he’s played for us 🤔
Alisson has still saved our bacon at times in ways that have made me catch my breath this season.
As much as anything, the instability of who is in front of our keepers must be wreaking havoc on these numbers.