A former goalkeeper has said that Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba did something against Sheffield United that reminded him of a famous Alisson save.
Matt Pyzdrowski used to play in the MLS and these days he’s The Athletic’s go-to man when it comes to analysing goalkeepers.
Samba was instrumental during the second leg of Forest’s second leg triumph against the Blades.
On the night he saved three penalties in the shootout but his two stops during the game were more important.
Both came from United forward Iliman Ndiaye and they proved absolutely vital to Forest’s win against Paul Heckingbottom’s team.
Pyzdrowski thinks the second save was very similar to that of Alisson’s during a Champions League game against Napoli two seasons ago.
He told The Athletic: “In those situations, you can work on techniques in training, but it’s mainly instinct. It was quite similar to the one Alisson made for Liverpool against Napoli in the Champions League.
“There was no defender between him and the ball. You just have to make yourself big. You have to close the gap as quickly as possible. That’s what Samba did.”
The Congolese stopper has rediscovered himself following a setback earlier during the 2021/22 campaign.
He was sent off for a moment of madness against Stoke in February and that saw him lose his place to Ethan Horvath for seven games.
Samba returned in early April against Blackpool and his form since then has been nothing short of brilliant.
The 28-year-old has one more big performance in him and he will be hoping for a clean sheet at Wembley on Sunday.
Samba important for Forest and he deserves praise
Samba does have some way to go to reach the level of Liverpool’s £190,000-a-week goalkeeper, Alisson Becker
The goalkeeper has been in brilliant form since returning to the team though and Forest are extremely lucky to have him.
Samba has had his critics in the past but against Sheffield United, he really showcased his quality.
He checked in on Trentside in 2019 and he has been the club’s number one goalkeeper since arriving at the club.
During 2021/22 he’s kept 14 clean sheets and he will have a 15th firmly in his sights at Wembley against Huddersfield.
Samba is the man for the big occasion and Forest fans have now seen the very best of his ability after his Sheffield United masterclass.