Liverpool in mourning again as Alisson Becker grieves tragic loss of father – club must pull together the Anfield way
- The body of Jose Becker was found after the 57-year-old former goalkeeper reportedly drowned while swimming
- With talismanic Alisson out indefinitely, manager Klopp, who lost his mother in January, has to rally the troops
A grim year for Liverpool took a worse turn on Wednesday when news emerged that goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s father drowned at his holiday home in southern Brazil.
Jose Becker had been swimming in a dam when he went missing in late afternoon on Wednesday. The body of the 57-year-old was found after a search was launched on the property.
This is the second tragedy to befall Liverpool this year. Last month Jurgen Klopp’s mother died in Germany. The manager was unable to attend the funeral because of Covid-19 restrictions.
The latest blow will cast another pall over the club. The 28-year-old’s father had a huge influence on his life. Jose Becker was an amateur goalkeeper and encouraged Alisson and his brother Muriel to play in the position. Muriel now keeps goal for Fluminense and the brothers were clubmates at Internacional until Alisson’s career trajectory outpaced his older sibling.
Alisson, his wife Natalia and their two children have a positive support network on Merseyside. He is close to Brazilian teammates Roberto Firmino and Fabinho and there are healthy links between South American players at other Premier League clubs in northwest England.
He has strong Christian beliefs and baptised Firmino and the wife of Fred, the Manchester United midfielder, last year. He has also talked about how important it is for him to understand the faith of practising Muslims Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
On the pitch, it has been a troubled start to 2021 for the Premier League champions. Liverpool have slipped to sixth place going into Sunday’s away match to Sheffield United. The off-the-field sadness puts football in context, however. Klopp prides himself on ensuring the emotional well-being of his players – Alisson’s grief is the most important factor at the moment.
The Liverpool manager continued to work as normal despite mourning his mother in January. He spoke about dealing with his loss before their 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig in the Champions League. “The last thing I want to do is talk about private things in a press conference,” he said, “but everybody knows we had a tough time. We always dealt with it as a family, 100 per cent.”
Klopp will take the same approach with Alisson. If the Brazilian needs time out of the public eye, he will be granted the space he needs. Caoimhin Kelleher proved an excellent deputy when Alisson was injured. The goalkeeping position is one of the least problematic in the side.
The mood at Anfield was downbeat before the news of Alisson’s father and it will be a grim get-together at the new Kirkby training centre. The test of a great manager and team is how they respond to repeated blows. This is a crucial part of the season because if Liverpool lose touch in the top-four battle the campaign could spiral out of control.
Henderson will miss at least a month and though he may not perform the most glamorous role in the side, his leadership was a huge component in Liverpool’s success. Henderson, Van Dijk and Alisson are the biggest voices in the squad and form the backbone of the team.
Despite a series of mistakes – most notably in the 4-1 home defeat by Manchester City this month – Alisson has been remarkably consistent since his arrival from Roma three years ago. The goalkeeper’s presence turned a team that was on the verge of success into one capable of winning trophies.
While racking up success at Anfield, Alisson’s performances brought individual honours. He was Fifa’s best goalkeeper and Champions League goalkeeper of the season in 2019. The awards generated great pride in Brazil, not least in the Becker household, where Jose watched his son develop into the best in the world.
For the moment, Liverpool travails on the pitch will be set aside. The club and the fans will join Alisson in mourning his unexpected tragedy. Defeats can be overcome and forgotten. Real losses like this have a much deeper impact on everyone at Anfield.
