In the League Cup final against Chelsea, Kelleher will have one of the most important games of his career. After transitioning from goalscorer to goalkeeper, Kelleher is expected to lift the trophy as a key player.
The second door that was praised by Klopp
Back in January, Klopp said, "As long as he's physically okay, then he'll play." As a manager, you have to think about a lot of things, one of which is that we think Kelleher is a great goalkeeper. ”
'He's not just a good goalkeeper, he's a great goalkeeper and we want to keep him and he's proven himself worthy of all the trust we have in him.'
"I haven't thought it through yet, but my idea now is to have him play. I can't find a reason why we don't. He deserved it, and he took the team to the final. ”
Indeed, in three Appearances in the League Cup this season, Kelleher performed well, keeping a clean sheet against Norwich city and twice blocking his opponent's shots in a penalty shootout against Leicester City.
However, his really shiny match was against Arsenal. In the semi-finals, he not only kept a clean sheet with the Gunners, but also saved Adegaux's one-handed ball.
Needless to say, Alisson is Liverpool's number one goalkeeper. However, it was Kelleher's miraculous performance that helped Liverpool reach the League Cup final for the first time in six years, and he deservedly started in this final.
From shooter to goalkeeper
Kelleher's football career began almost 20 years ago, when he played for Cork's football club Lin Mahon Rovers. However, he was not a goalkeeper at the beginning, but a goalscorer who was not inefficient in scoring goals.
Shaun Fitzgerald, the secretary of The Lim Mahon Club, revealed, "He first joined our U5 or U6 club, but continued to get promoted. He is a striker who has only been a goalkeeper since U14. Before moving to Liverpool, he had only played as a goalkeeper for three seasons. Before playing as goalkeeper, he used to score 20 to 30 goals per season. ”
Switching from outfielders to goalkeepers is not uncommon and may now be more common as more and more Premier League clubs want their goalkeepers to have excellent footwork. The experience of playing as a striker helped Kelleher to read the game better. He understands the technique of shooting, and that confuses a lot of goalkeepers.
Fitzgerald revealed, "He has that intuition, he's always ahead of the curve. Once the ball falls into the box, he starts and he knows what the striker will do. ”
In his final game for Lim Mahon, he helped the team win the Cork Under-17 Youth League. After that, he moved to Liverpool.
Since 2015, he has won the Champions League with the team in May 2019 and the Premier League a year later.
"He just wants to go to Liverpool"
For Lin Mahon, seeing Kelleher win the Champions League and premier league title at Liverpool is wonderful enough, but for fitzgeral, an avid Liverpool fan, it may be even more significant.
Fitzgerald revealed, "He showed his talent early on and some English clubs were interested in him when he played for the Under-16 team. Manchester United and Villa are watching him, but he just wants to go to Liverpool. That's the biggest club in the world and you have to play for them. I say this because I'm a Liverpool fan. ”
'We're just a small club, a local club and when you see the local lads win the Champions League, it's like you've achieved your dream.'
In the Champions League final, Kelleher was just a substitute. However, in the League Cup against Chelsea, Kelleher is expected to start and is expected to end the curse of not winning the League Cup for 10 years.
Fitzgerald revealed, "A couple of lads are ready to go to London to buy tickets and it's fantastic when you see your players coming in the final at Wembley Stadium. ”
For Kelleher and Lin Mahon Wanderers, February 27 will be a day that will never be forgotten.