Hopefully he will play the next two games as well and do a reasonable job. This will improve the quality of loan he gets in January. Loan should be priority unless Allison picks up long term injury and Caoimhin has genuine chance of number 1 in Jan
Loved Klopps reaction to him afterwards. There was genuine happiness for Kelleher in it, not a fake Jose Mourinho do it for the cameras pat on the back.
Elatedscum makes a good point. Is he better off on loan or back up to Allison? Henderson is back up to De Gea at United in a similar situation with obviously a higher profile. I would imagine that if Kelleher has some more performances like tonight there would be a lot of clubs very interested in taking him.
Hopefully he will play the next two games as well and do a reasonable job. This will improve the quality of loan he gets in January. Loan should be priority unless Allison picks up long term injury and Caoimhin has genuine chance of number 1 in Jan
Alisson's first season at Liverpool, he played 51 out of 53 games, including all 38 leagues and every champion's league game from the group to the final. Mignolet played 2 games, 1 in the fa cup and 1 in the league cup (they lost both). that's pretty much the worst case scenario for a second choice keeper.
Last season, by contrast, he played 37 games. Adrian played 18 (11 premier league, 3 champion's league, 3 fa cup, 1 other) games and Kelleher played 4 in the league cup (3) and fa cup (1). If you knew in advance, you'd play 22 games, you'd be pretty content. First injury, Alisson missed just over 2 months. It would have been more games missed if it wasn't for covid, he was injured for 7/8 weeks with the second injury and only missed 3 games. There was also a red card.
so far this season, Alisson has has two injuries (shoulder and hamstring) played 12, adrian 5 (2 premier league, 1 champion's league, 2 league cup) and kelleher 1. If Alisson does turn out to be a bit injury prone, which is possible, it might be a real opportunity to become a top keeper. Hopefully he does well if and when he gets another chance... His stock has certainly risen over the last 24 hours. From that performance, he looks like the most credible No.2 for Ireland...
So three good saves (the last one possibly very good as it did require fast reflexes and strong hands, even if it was straight at him), looked good with the ball at both his feet (important as you don't want forwards forcing you on to a weak foot), but completely misjudged the one cross he faced. Definitely a good confidence booster, but I'm still a little concerned about the crossing
I hope it’s just a confidence thing and that as he gets more action, he’ll be more assertive coming for balls. He did seem to be standing close to his line on crosses and letting his defenders deal with balls into the area. Perhaps given the situation he was even instructed to let defenders take the lead in some of those. The raw ingredients are there — hopefully he can now kick on, play on the weekend, and perhaps secure a loan move at a good standard for the second half of the season.
Gauging the Irish public's reaction is funny at times. I just heard Newstalk introduce the sports news there with "Cork's Caoimhin Kelleher the hero as Liverpool..." I thought it was a stretch.
And maybe RTE giving him MOTM and Kenny Cunningham fawning over him all night is a bit over the top too.
There's definitely a piece whereby people are over-stating his performance. But there's definitely an aspect whereby a cohort will mount a backlash against this. See also Aaron Connolly. Give me the former anyways. No harm dwelling on something positive these days.
Kelleher came through that game for me with a 7.5/10. He was unscathed, which I'd mark down as 6. And I'd give him another .5 for 2 or 3 grand saves, decent distribution facing a press and it being his debut.
How did the English commentators pronounce his name?
I do enjoy this phonetic effort from a journo on F365 in coping with the shortened version of Kelleher's first name that Klopp uses: https://www.football365.com/news/klo...liverpool-ajax
“I don’t know how many clean sheets, Super Cup final, Champions League, played everywhere. But now, in this game we needed the football playing ability, the natural football playing ability of Kweev."
I haven't been a fan to date.
But i just saw his save from the header. That was Gordon Banks stuff...weldone baby
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2020...eher-on-debut/
He is a bit like the ciliessen guy, now at Valencia. but a better with the ball at his feet than the dutch
Obviously a very impressive game. He is so good and composed with his feet I'd almost pick him in DM for Ireland!
I thought he got a bit lost under a high ball in the first half that luckily was flagged for an offside anyway, and then Onuna got lost in an almost identical fashion for Liverpool's goal.
But great game, keep it up.
Probably part that motm vote was relief that he's not Alisson.
My god he's pale. No doubting his lineage anyway. Irish hair is in check as well!
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Had the game on in the background and I have to say it was a joy to be watch him play with such assuredness.
Lots of talk about him "needing to go out on loan". Madness, if he was out on loan now he wouldn't be able to play in games like last night. Chance are he'll play the final group game as well seeing as they are already through and who knows what will happen with the weekend.
Last edited by BonnieShels; 02/12/2020 at 9:36 PM.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
That talk was largely on the assumption that he's third choice and wouldn't get a sniff of first team football any time soon. If he can entrench himself as second choice, it seems he'll get his games. It's a pleasure to see any of our players at at a top club these days. I remember bitching about O'Shea at full back at times (he always looked much happier at centre half, for Ireland anyway), but a lad playing every week at a Champions League club is practically a pipe dream now. Well, unless Mourinho's habitual second season title bid materialises to carry Doherty into that role.
You can't spell failure without FAI
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