In November, Liverpool added Cláudio Taffarel to their coaching staff, with manager Jürgen Klopp and head goalkeeping coach John Achterberg seeking out the Brazilian legend to help build on one of the club’s positions of strength.
A few months later, Taffarel—who splits his time between Liverpool and his Brazilian national team duties—opened up on his decision to join the Premier League club, and the role star stopper Alisson Becker played in his arrival in England.
“I think it was when Alisson was in Rome that he said to me, ‘If I have the possibility to bring you to my club with me, I will do it,’” Taffarel told the club’s official website. “So I have always had it in mind that I might work with Alisson.
“I had my job at Galatasaray and I was working with the national team, so I was not desperate to work at another club. But I think Alisson spoke to John and Jürgen 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 Jürgen I decided straight away to come here. Alisson always talked to me about Liverpool, about the ambience and that the people were very friendly.”
In addition to working with Alisson on the technical side of the game, Taffarel is also involved in helping to develop Liverpool’s younger goalkeepers like Caoimhin Kelleher and the promising young Brazilian Marcelo Pitaluga.
“Brazilian football and goalkeeping is different to England,” Taffarel added. “In Brazil, a lot of the work is on technical things like movements. This is my role with the senior goalkeepers and to begin teaching the younger goalkeepers.”
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