Ben Foster has reacted to what he has heard a lot of people say about Alisson Becker after the Liverpool goalkeeper was awarded a free-kick during the second-half against Manchester City on Saturday.
Foster was speaking on his YouTube channel after the Brazilian endured an eventful afternoon at the Etihad Stadium as Jurgen Klopp’s side came away from the game with a point.
Alisson was partially at fault for Manchester City’s goal after a poor clearance. And some will feel that he was fortunate to not gift the champions a second during the second-half.
Ben Foster defends Alisson after Liverpool draw
The 31-year-old failed to catch the ball from a City corner while being challenged by Manuel Akanji. And that led to Ruben Dias poking the ball home.
Unsurprisingly, the referee did give Liverpool a free-kick. But the incident was checked. And there was not a lot of contact on the Reds goalkeeper from Akanji.
It would appear that Ben Foster has seen a lot of football fans call out the Liverpool goalkeeper and argue that he was not fouled. But Foster has defended Alisson, insisting that the right decision was made, no matter how slight the contact was.
“What I have to say is it’s a foul, it’s as simple as that, it’s a foul. And I’ll explain why. Until you’ve been a goalkeeper, until you’ve taken your feet off the ground and you have your eyes on that ball, and you’re putting your hands up there, the second somebody not even grabs your arm, and I mean this, if somebody gives you a little nudge in your waist, in your leg, anything, your body just moves. It completely moves. And when you’re trying to catch a ball that’s travelling at 40, 50, 60, 70 miles an hour, the margin for error is so tiny. It’s minuscule. To actually be able to catch the ball at that moment in time when somebody’s touched you is near on impossible. It’s hard enough at the best of times to catch the thing. But when somebody’s nudged you as well, all bets are off,” he told his YouTube channel.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
“It’s a foul, it’s as simple as that. I understand where people are coming from and saying it’s the tiniest of touches. He’s only just grabbed his arm. It’s enough. Honestly, it’s enough.”
Complaining about decisions makes little sense
Obviously, Foster will understand better than most what Alisson would have been dealing with in that moment. So that should bring an end to the debate.
But it is odd that it has got to that stage anyway. Yes, Akanji does not do a lot to put Alisson off. And some will insist that goalkeepers receive too much protection.
But that is how it has been for many years now. If anyone deserves criticism, it is probably the Manchester City man for giving the referee the option to give a free-kick.
Obviously, Alisson probably does not drop the ball if Akanji is not there. But with VAR available, there was almost no chance that the Cityzens were going to get the goal. Admittedly, Liverpool fans have reason to have little faith in VAR.
Ultimately, people cannot complain about the foul being given. And judging by Foster’s comments, it was no surprise that Alisson could not hold onto the ball.