Alisson Named Liverpool Vice-Captain: New Rules Prevent Armband Use

Alisson Becker has been confirmed as Liverpool’s new vice-captain, yet he will not be the man wearing the armband when Virgil van Dijk is off the pitch.

New head coach Andoni Iraola has turned to the Brazilian as part of his reshaped hierarchy after the departures of Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah, but Premier League regulations have forced a compromise.

Under the rules, only the captain is allowed to speak to the referee over contentious decisions. For Iraola, that makes it impractical for a goalkeeper to be the official skipper.

He spelt it out clearly.

He wants his vice-captain between the posts. He wants his captain out on the grass.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez have also been folded into the new leadership group, with Gomez recognised as the club’s longest-serving player and Szoboszlai coming off a standout campaign in which he was named player of the season.

With Van Dijk as club captain, Szoboszlai is now expected to take the armband on the days the Dutchman is absent, despite Alisson’s elevation to vice-captain.

Iraola explained that the modern regulations make a goalkeeper-captain a tactical disadvantage.

“I explained to Alisson 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 goalkeeper wears the armband,” he said.

If a flashpoint erupts in the opposition box, the referee is obliged to explain decisions to the captains. That would leave Alisson sprinting the length of the pitch to be involved in every major conversation.

“It would not make sense,” Iraola argued, pointing to his experience at Bournemouth. “I had one season with Neto 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.”

So the solution at Liverpool is clear: Alisson as vice-captain in status, an outfielder as captain in practice.

The coach stressed he had taken time to explain the call directly to the Brazilian.

“I wanted him to feel like we value him,” Iraola said. “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 goalkeeper and unfortunately they are putting the rules in a way that there is a lot of disadvantages to having a goalkeeper as a captain.”

The shake-up comes after the summer exits of Robertson and Salah, two of the most influential figures in the dressing room in recent years. On paper, that is a heavy loss of experience and personality.

Iraola does not see a vacuum. He sees an opening.

“We lost a lot in terms of experience, high-level players who have performed so well for so many years here,” he admitted. “But I think it is also a natural thing in clubs.

“I think we have a lot of young players willing to take those minutes and ready to take those leadership roles. Overall, I am very happy with the attitude of the players in the pre-season.”

The armband may move from arm to arm when Van Dijk is missing, but in Iraola’s Liverpool, the real test is who steps up when the whistle blows.