"Outstanding" - Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool star produced an 'A+ performance' in 4-1 Brentford thrashing 

Jurgen Klopp has hailed Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher for his wonderful display in the 4-1 win against Brentford. Alisson Becker missed the trip to the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday, February 17 with a suspected hamstring issue but Kelleher filled in well for the Brazilian.

Over the last few years, Kelleher has deputized quite well in Alisson's absence. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has also kept his faith with the Republic of Ireland keeper in cup competitions.

For the second Premier League game in a row, Kelleher was handed the opportunity to start between the sticks for Liverpool in Alisson's absence. The Irishman did well to secure his side a 3-1 win against Burnley last week and had a very impressive showing against Brentford.

While Kelleher couldn't manage a clean sheet, he made some big saves including a wonderful stop from Serge Regulion before Ivan Toney netted the rebound. Following the game, Jurgen Klopp waxed lyrical about Kelleher for his 'A+ performance'. The German said, as quoted by Liverpool World:

"Caoimhin had already enough games this year to have kind of rhythm. Goalkeepers are a different breed to other people so it was not in my plans to play [him] in Luton or whatever. How I said, we play the game we play with all focus and all attention and don't think about other things. It might be not the smartest way. It's just the only way I know."

Klopp added:

"He was outstanding. I don't know exactly, to be honest, who is the number one [goalkeeper] in Ireland but if they have a better goalkeeper than him I have to say, 'Respect'. He's outstanding and this year we gave him more games than he had previously. It's well deserved because we need him, and we need him with rhythm and now the situation around Ali shows that it makes absolutely sense. We will see how long Ali is out, but Caoimhin is exceptional. Today he was... wow! It was an A+ performance."

Kelleher came through the young ranks of Liverpool and has so far made 35 senior appearances for the Reds. He has occasionally deputized for Alisson while playing mostly in cup games.

Aged 25 now, Kelleher looks too good to be a backup but has arguably the best keeper in the world ahead of him in the pecking order. Jurgen Klopp previously labelled the Irishman as the 'best No. 2 goalie in the world' which speaks volumes about his caliber.

---

Liverpool defender admits he might have to seek a move for regular minutes

Liverpool defender Sepp Van den Berg has claimed that he might have to secure a move away from Liverpool in search of regular first-team football. The young Dutchman joined the Reds in 2019 from PEC Zwolle for around £1.3 million but has not been able to break into Jurgen Klopp's first-team plans.

Having only made four appearances for the Merseyside giants so far, the centre-back has been shipped off on loan spells to Preston North End, Schalke and Mainz 05 respectively. Now, the 22-year-old has admitted that he might have to look for fresh pastures in the summer if he is not assured of first-team opportunities at Anfield. The Liverpool defender told Voetbal Nieuws, as quoted by HITC Sport:

“If I go back to Liverpool, they may want me to stay. If I notice that a lot of playing time is not available, then I may have to make the choice to leave. For me, it is really important that I play. In the years before, I did not have the feeling that I would be in the starting line-up next to Virgil."

"I don’t know yet what (my prospects) will be like next summer. I think I am doing well. I can handle the level at Liverpool. I can compete. But becoming a starter is, of course, still a different thing. Virgil and Konate are not small boys. I know it will be difficult.”

The 22-year-old also admitted that he would be keen on staying abroad rather than moving back to the Netherlands. He added:

“I like abroad better. The level is higher. (That is) nothing to the detriment of the Eredivisie. PSV are doing quite well at the moment, but the basic level in Germany is higher. I prefer to play for Mainz against Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig. Even Koln is a big club with a nice stadium and lots of fans. Of course, clubs like Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord and even AZ are nice. But abroad attracts me more.”

Van den Berg has been almost a regular for Mainz this season although the German side are second last in the Bundesliga and look set for relegation.