Alisson's bold goalkeeping gives Roma a chance vs. Barcelona

If Roma had hoped Sevilla might provide some last-minute insight into how to beat Barcelona over the weekend, the club was in for a disappointment. True enough, the La Liga leader had things tough at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. After an hour, Barcelona was down 2-0 and fortunate the deficit wasn't greater.

But then Lionel Messi came on. The game ended 2-2, with the Argentinian netting the equaliser.

There is no simple counter to a five-time Ballon d'Or winner. Even Diego Simeone, perhaps the most effective coach in Europe at neutralising an opponent's attacking strengths, reflected recently that "no strategy" exists to contain such a talent.

If nothing else, though, it helps to start with a good goalkeeper. And as Simeone has seen firsthand, Roma boasts one of the best.

Alisson Becker made nine saves as the Giallorossi clung on for a 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid at the Stadio Olimpico this September. That result laid the foundation for the Italians to finish top of Champions League Group C, and for Simeone's team's eventual elimination.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Two similar performances might be required against Barcelona if Roma has any chance of going farther in this competition. Messi is expected to start on Wednesday for a team that's averaging 2.5 goals per game this season. So too is Sergio Busquets, whose absence at the weekend allowed Sevilla to dominate the midfield.

We know that Alisson is capable. His showing against Atletico was hardly a one-off; he made 11 saves in Roma's win away to Napoli in March and nine against Sampdoria.

But what really sets the Brazilian shot-stopper apart is the way he mops up problems behind the defence.

His compatriot Ederson has won rave reviews for his sweeper-keeper interpretation of the role at Manchester City this season, yet it's no mistake that Alisson starts ahead of him for the Brazilian national team.

As great as he was against Atletico, the 1-1 draw with Inter at the start of this year provides a more complete picture of the Roma player's talents. Alisson made six saves that day, but how many more might have been required had he not repeatedly sprinted out of his penalty area to intercept through balls intended for Mauro Icardi?

He also provided the assist on Roma's only goal, releasing Stephan El Shaarawy with a pass that travelled more than 50 yards through the air. This wasn't some hopeful punt but a deliberate delivery to a teammate whose run he'd spotted from half a pitch away.

Few keepers in the world could appear so confident with a ball at their feet. Week to week, his habit of launching Roma counter-attacks with first-time balls to his full-backs draws applause at the Stadio Olimpico. His backheel pass during a game against SPAL went viral - even if you could criticise the misjudgment that got the ball stuck under his feet in the first place.

As Alisson tells it, he was always comfortable on the ball. He had to be, playing from a young age in games against the friends of his older brother, Muriel.

At first, they stuck him in goal because he was too small and weak to play against them in any other position. But by the time he hit his early 20s - now standing 6-foot-3 - Alisson dislodged his older sibling as starting 'keeper for the Brazilian club side Internacional.

He made his first appearance for Brazil in 2015, yet when he arrived at Roma a year later, he played second fiddle to Wojciech Szczesny. Alisson found the adjustment difficult. "In Brazil, I was used to playing 50 games a year," he told Il Messaggero. "I was worried about not being able to get back to being that guy."

His solution was to double down and work harder: to observe the qualities of the player keeping him out of the team and implement them into his own game. "Szczesny taught me a thing or two," Alisson continued. "He is a bold sort, not afraid to try things."

Alisson's willingness to take risks this season has been a boon for Roma. A more cautious player wouldn't have beaten Icardi to a ball bouncing on the edge of the D in January - heading it clear and denying one of Serie A's most effective penalty-box predators a one-on-one - nor would he have left Udinese's Stipe Perica on his backside with a body swerve 25 yards from his goal.

Can he afford to be so bold on Wednesday? Perhaps he can ill afford not to. Roma is the underdog with good cause: No team has beaten Barcelona in La Liga or the Champions League all season. If there's no proven blueprint for thwarting Messi and company, then what's the point in curtailing your own instincts to try to play as everyone else has done?