Kostas Tsimikas captained Liverpool during Wednesday night’s Champions League tie against LASK, even though vice-captain Alisson Becker started the match. With Virgil van Dijk beginning the game on the bench, Tsimikas led the Reds out at the Raiffeisen Arena.
Why Alisson did not wear the armband
Liverpool supporters could be forgiven for asking why, given vice-captain Alisson was starting in goal. But speaking on the eve of the new season, Andoni Iraola revealed why the Brazil international, despite being named one of Liverpool’s new vice-captains during the summer, was unlikely to ever wear the armband, even if Van Dijk is missing.
“The captains will be Virgil, will be Alisson, will be Joe Gomez, and Dom Szoboszlai,” the Spaniard said.
Goalkeeper captain rule explained
“But I explained to Alisson especially that it’s not going to be possible that he wears the armband because with the new rule I think there is a big limitation if a keeper wears the armband.
“Because if something happens in the opposition box the referee has to explain to the captains what’s happening, all the decisions.
“I had one season with [goalkeeper] Neto [as captain] in Bournemouth and then you have to start every game to say a different player that can act as a captain, and this is not viable.
“But I wanted him to feel like we value him. I’ve had enough time and we will have more time to know each other, but I had to explain also the decision about the armband to Ali because he is a keeper and, unfortunately, they are putting the rules in a way that there is a lot of disadvantages to having a keeper as a captain.”
