Liverpool’s latest addition to the coaching staff is one who already holds a big name in the football world - former Brazil goalkeeper and World Cup winner Claudio Taffarel.
The 55-year-old joined Jurgen Klopp’s backroom team in November, expanding the goalkeeping section of the coaching crew to three members at senior level.
His role encompasses both working with senior and youth stoppers, and as he has now explained, it covers a very different area of the game to the pair already in place at the Kirkby training complex.
Unsurprisingly, it’s Taffarel’s role as Brazilian national team goalkeeper coach - which he still holds - which linked him to the Reds’ first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker initially, and from there it was a few short years before the duo linked up at club level too, following discussions with the manager and head of goalkeeping John Achterberg.
“When we came here, I knew it would be very good for me and for my career. But now I am here, I feel even better than I thought I would,” Taffarel told the club website.
“I’ve known Alisson for many years; we started off at the same club, Internacional, and I have known him since he was a boy! I think Alisson spoke to John and Jurgen and they liked the idea of me working here. They made it happen and I was very, very happy. The first time I heard from Jurgen I decided straight away that it would be a very, very nice thing to come here.”
Regarding his role at the club, Taffarel says he is bringing a new angle to coaching as there is a clear difference in training style between European and South American habits. The Reds now have the best of both worlds, he feels, working with Achterberg and assistant Jack Robinson. After the Brazilian joined, Klopp spoke of wanting a “a proper goalkeeping school in world football”, in which the lessons are now being handed down by one who reached the very pinnacle of the game.
“Brazilian football and goalkeeping is completely different in terms of style to England.
“In Brazil, a lot of the goalkeeping work is on technical things like movements and this is my role here: to work on these techniques with the senior goalkeepers and begin teaching the younger goalkeepers these techniques too.
“John and Jack work a lot on kicking and crosses: these are match situations and situations that are particularly specific to English football. Whereas I work a lot on positioning, the right positioning, and movements.
“Alisson is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Adrian has lots of experience and Caoimhin [Kelleher] is showing his quality in the cups. But also the younger guys, they have a lot to learn but they are in good condition and they will grow with this new philosophy, this new work, we are doing. That will be great for them and great for us also.”
