Liverpool have been dealt a significant blow with Alisson Becker (£5.5m) anticipated to be sidelined for six weeks.

The 32-year-old was substituted within the second half of Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace after choosing up a hamstring damage.

Alisson is subsequently unlikely to play earlier than November’s worldwide break, lacking essential league fixtures towards Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and Hove Albion and Aston Villa.

On this article, we have a look at the potential influence of Alisson’s absence in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).

IN-FORM LIVERPOOL

Liverpool have loved an outstanding begin to the season after racking up 18 factors from six wins of their opening seven matches.

The distinction between this flying begin by Liverpool in comparison with earlier events once they have flown out of the blocks is that as a substitute of blowing groups away with the kind of free-wheeling heavy steel soccer that we used to see underneath Jurgen Klopp, with clusters of objectives from Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) and myriad assists from Trent-Alexander Arnold (£7.1m) and Andrew Robertson (£6.0m), Arne Slot’s early outcomes have been primarily based on stable defensive foundations.

We can’t in fact overlook the achievements of Salah. He has, in spite of everything, racked up 4 objectives and 4 assists already and lies third within the rankings with 62 factors, however Alexander-Arnold and Robertson have mustered just one help between them.

The primary purpose Liverpool are sitting on high of the league is as a result of they’ve conceded a measly two objectives. Two! In the event that they have been to proceed at this charge they’ll solely ship 11 objectives all season, a feat that might break the report for the fewest objectives conceded in a Premier League season of 15 set by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in 2004/05.

ALISSON IMPACT

Liverpool’s defensive obduracy is in no small half all the way down to Alisson. The Brazilian has been in wonderful type this season – as he demonstrated final weekend when he got here high of the anticipated objectives (xG) prevented desk for Gameweek 7, single-handedly holding Crystal Palace at bay with a sequence of significant stops earlier than pulling up lame. Solely 4 goalkeepers made greater than his 4 saves from pictures heading in the right direction in Gameweek 7.

Alisson has been among the finest goalkeepers within the Premier League ever since arriving at Anfield in 2018. In his first season on the membership he received the primary of his two Golden Gloves for holding essentially the most clear sheets, and for the reason that 2019/20 season he has improved, maturing like a positive wine.

As you possibly can see from the desk above, he has ranked both first or second for save proportion in 4 of the seven seasons he has been at Liverpool and ranked within the high three for xG prevented in 5 of these seven campaigns.

The concern for Liverpool is that, though solely seven matches in, this season was his finest thus far. He ranks third for xGP, boasts a save proportion of 88.2% and has an unrivalled 4 clear sheets already.

A serious purpose for that is the truth that Slot’s facet have had a form run of opening fixtures. The one workforce they’ve performed so removed from the present high 10 is Nottingham Forest – and that was the sport they misplaced.

Liverpool’s defence isn’t solely all the way down to Alisson’s cat-like reflexes, in fact. They’ve a stable defence marshalled by Virgil van Dijk (£6.0) and Ibrahima Konate (£5.2m), the latter of whom is flying underneath the radar with a aim and an help to enhance his 4 clear sheets.

This defence is in flip shielded by a midfield that’s adept at successful possession and holding the ball on the different finish of the pitch, which is why Alisson has confronted the fewest pictures of any goalkeeper this season with 17. Brentford’s Mark Flekken (£4.5m), in contrast, has confronted 45 – albeit having performed 104 extra minutes.

IS KELLEHER WORTH BUYING IN FPL?

So the query is, will Alisson’s deputy, the attractively-priced Caoimhin Kelleher (£4.4m) be a less expensive route into arguably the most effective defence within the Premier League?

The Irishman’s restricted Premier League expertise presents us solely a pattern dimension. He has performed simply as soon as within the Premier League this season, having missed Gameweek 7 by way of sickness, however did excel within the 3-0 win over Bournemouth which was not as one-sided because it sounds.

Kelleher needed to make seven saves because the Cherries bombarded his aim in an end-to-end affair during which each groups fired off 19 pictures. In actual fact, Kelleher had the best save proportion of Gameweek 5 with a head-scratching 116.5% (seven saves from six pictures heading in the right direction!) to earn 9 FPL factors.

Final season presents a barely bigger pattern dimension as Kelleher made 10 appearances when Alisson had once more succumbed to damage.

The 25-year-old acquitted himself effectively, rating fifth for save proportion and faring higher than Alisson for xG prevented in that marketing campaign. Nonetheless, solely two of Kelleher’s matches got here towards top-six sides and he would in all probability have hoped for greater than his two clear sheets from encounters towards groups largely floundering on the incorrect finish of the desk like Sheffield United, Luton City, Burnley and Nottingham Forest.

So what we’ve to weigh up when contemplating whether or not it’s price a punt on Kelleher is firstly, whether or not he will likely be well-protected by his defence thereby rising his chance to maintain clear sheets. The meagre 17 pictures Liverpool have conceded to date would recommend that he’ll.

Nonetheless, the white elephant within the room is the fixture checklist. Liverpool’s schedule will get fairly brutal from right here on in.

It’s truthful to say that even Alisson would wrestle to maintain Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton and Aston Villa at bay. On condition that he might probably be again after that, a punt on Kelleher in all probability isn’t price it.