Alisson: Crisis talk didn’t affect morale at training ground

“We didn’t let the crisis talk affect us in Trigoria,” said the Brazilian goalkeeper. “We need to be rational and stay calm. Sometimes the results don’t come – at times we’ve made a few too many mistakes and we’re aware of that.

“We won our last game, and although we had to dig in a bit after the red card they didn’t have any more shots on goal, which gave us a boost. We need to continue working hard, just like we did when we weren’t getting the results.”

Some people have been surprised by your form in goal, but others knew what to expect…

“This is normal for me. It’s my job. I’ve been able to play more this season. I work hard every day to help the team.”

Former Roma goalkeeping coach Roberto Negrisolo has said you remind him of Dino Zoff. Do you see the comparison?

“I’ve not seen him play, but I’ve heard good things about him. Compliments make me happy but I just need to focus on performing well on the pitch and helping the team. I come here every day to work with Marco Savorani, the goalkeeping coach, who is helping me a great deal. I need to put in maximum effort.”

Do you feel like you’ve improved a lot here in Italy?

“Definitely, Serie A has helped me to understand tactics and that’s been a benefit to me at international level too. I’m lucky enough to have a great coach here and some top team-mates. My career is progressing well here.”

Inter and Lazio are also gunning for a Champions League place. Which of those teams are the biggest threat?

“Inter are struggling a bit at the moment but they have a great squad with some fantastic players. Lazio are very well organised – they’re strong in attack and have some great players. We need to focus on doing our jobs well to make sure we finish in the top three at the very least.”

One stats website has you down as the third-best goalkeeper in Europe. Sooner or later, somebody will knock on Roma’s door with a big offer for you. How would you respond?

“All I’m thinking about right now is Roma – I’m focused on the present. I wasn’t aware of those stats. I just think about helping the team. I’m getting a lot of help from the team, my team-mates and [goalkeeping coach] Savorani.”