OPINION
If every cloud has a silver lining, then every silver lining must have a cloud.
And that will be how Liverpool fans are feeling today after their opening night demolition of Norwich City.
4-0 up by half time, the Reds ran out as eventual 4-1 winners against the newly-promoted Canaries who, for their part, put up a decent account of themselves but were still steamrollered by an irresistible attacking force.
There were large spells of the match when the Kop mustn’t have thought things could go any better, but then the unthinkable happened.
In the most innocuous of circumstances, taking a goal kick with nobody within a 10 yard radius of him, goalkeeper Alisson Becker went down and seemed to immediately signal his match was over.
As a general rule, the more innocuous an injury looks, the more concerning it is. Going down for no apparent reason usually indicates something has given way of its own accord, and that will always be a worry.
And while nothing is set in stone just yet, if Alisson is out for a while, that could be a real issue for Jurgen Klopp.
With Simon Mignolet leaving for Club Brugge in his native Belgium earlier this week, that leaves the German with just one senior goalkeeping option in his ranks.
Adrian came on to make his debut against Norwich, and looked sound enough, but the Reds must look for a back-up to their back-up.
According to Goal journalist Neil Jones, the Reds could turn to Andy Lonergan to act as a short term fix, and if they do it will surely raise questions over how Klopp has approached this new season.
#LFC will consider short-term goalkeeping options, including Andy Lonergan, as they wait to discover the full extent of Alisson's injury.
Youngster Caiomhin Kelleher due back in training after his wrist injury, too.
— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) August 10, 2019
The 6’3″ stopper [Transfermarkt] was brought in as a covering option for training during Alisson’s time at the Copa America over the summer, and the fact that the Reds could end up offering him a new deal shows that the Reds did not do enough to prepare for any eventuality going into this new campaign.
The thought of the champions of Europe lining up with a 35-year-old stopper who has never played in the Premier League before on the bench, as per Transfermarkt, is almost laughable, but here we are.
Alisson may not be out for too long, and Lonergan may never be called upon, but the fact that we are even having this conversation is a bit of a red flag.
