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Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James is a big fan of Giorgi Mamardashvili, but he believes the summer arrival from Valencia is under big pressure to perform in the coming weeks.
Alisson Becker is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and Mamardashvili has been deputizing. At the current moment, there has been no exact timeline placed on a return for the Brazilian, though he was spotted training alone at the AXA Training Centre earlier this week.
This weekend, Arne Slot's side travels to take on Brentford in the Premier League having lost each of its last three games in that competition. Liverpool did at least beat Eintracht Frankfurt in Europe midweek in a morale-boosting victory.
"In this situation, Liverpool haven't been in great form," James told Liverpool.com. "The results haven't been going their way.
"Now he's been put into that team, so it is going to be a very quick learning curve for him. They've got some massive fixtures coming up in the next few weeks.
"At £29 million ($39 million), he is not the most expensive goalkeeper. But you would think them spending that kind of money, having him on loan for a year, is because they think he can handle those occasions. I'm sure he'll do fine."
Mamardashvili will line up for Liverpool against Brentford. If he is taken out of the side and rested for the visit of Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, that could offer a hint that Alisson is not yet nearing a comeback.
"It's one of those things," James, speaking on behalf of Ask Gamblers, continued. "Normally, going back to my career, to get back in the side is because the person you're replacing is through lack of form.
"If the goalkeeper is having a lack of form, then usually the team is not in a very good place. So it could add a little bit more pressure in some ways."
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James has always been a big fan of Mamardashvili, who will come up against the man he replaced at Liverpool — Caoimhin Kelleher— this weekend.
Speaking to Liverpool.com in July 2024, the ex-England shot-stopper, who was part of the Euro 2024 analysis team for UEFA, said he had been impressed with Mamardashvili before news of Liverpool's interest emerged.
"Mamardashvili was amazing at saving shots," he said, noting, however, that no goalkeeper in the world is as complete as Alisson is at the moment.
With the Liverpool number one absent, Mamardashvili will have the opportunity to prove his quality until he returns. In the longer term, he will hope to make the first-choice jersey his own full-time.
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