It is fair to say that Liverpool fans were not exactly overjoyed with the summer signing of 23-year-old fullback Andy Robertson from relegated Hull. The Reds’ leaky defence had let the team down once again the previous season and world-class reinforcements were clearly needed, but Robertson did not exactly fit the bill. The Scotsman set Liverpool back £8 million and sent fans into a bit of a social media meltdown as many were hoping for Ricardo Rodriguez, who ended up joining AC Milan for £15 million. But fast-forward seven months and Robertson is looking like a bargain after making the left back slot his own and delivering a string of impressive performances.
Jamie Carragher argued at the start of the season that Robertson was not ready to play for Liverpool and would merely be used as a backup to James Milner this season. But Milner cannot get a look in when it comes to the left back position, as Robertson goes from strength to strength. It is now a straight fight between Robertson and Alberto Moreno for the left back slot, while Milner is vying for a place in midfield. Right now, Robertson looks like winning the battle.
The Scot made his Champions League debut in Liverpool’s 5-0 win over Porto, while Moreno had to be content with a place on the bench. Moreno had a horror show in the 3-3 draw away at Sevilla, and was looking a bit suspect in subsequent games, so Robertson came into the team for the 5-1 thrashing of Brighton on December 2, and he has not looked back since. He has started every game since then, apart from the FA Cup fourth round tie against West Brom, which Liverpool lost 3-2, with Moreno at left-back.
The Reds have lost three times in the league this season, against Swansea, Tottenham and Man City. The latter two were thrashings, a 5-0 reverse against City and a 4-1 defeat against Spurs at Wembley, and Moreno played in both of them. Robertson has now made 14 starts to Moreno’s 12, and he has only tasted defeat once. He simply looks a better defender than Moreno and he is certainly more consistent. Battling against relegation with Hull throughout last season has clearly provided a strong grounding in the art of defending in the Premier League for Robertson.
He reads the game well, as he showed against Everton by keeping Yannick Bolasie largely in his pocket. He also made some crucial interceptions in the famous 4-3 win against Man City, which ended Pep Guardiola’s team’s long unbeaten run. He defends diligently and his presence in the squad means Jurgen Klopp has one less headache when selecting a backline. Robertson is also extremely quick and has great stamina, allowing him to bomb up and down the touchline all game, providing a great outlet for the team, while he is a good crosser of the ball. His pace makes him perfectly catered to Klopp’s rock and roll, Gegenpressing style, and he can make the position his for years to come.
In many respects, Robertson is the antithesis to the modern Premier League footballer. Perhaps Liverpool fans were not exactly enamoured with his signing because Man City were splashing out enormous sums on foreign imports like Benjamin Mendy and Danilo. Robertson, meanwhile, came from an unglamorous club after a low-key start to his career: he was released by Celtic, joined lowly Queen’s Park and then moved to Dundee Utd, where he impressed with his energy, power, pace and poise. That earned him a call-up to the Scottish national team and then a £3 million move to Hull City, capping a remarkable period that saw him go from playing as an amateur in the Scottish League Two to the Scottish Premiership and then the English Premier League within just 463 days.
Robertson has already tasted relegation twice with Hull and played a year in the Championship, while he was on the losing side in the Scottish cup final. These experiences have clearly given him mental fortitude, and he remains an amicable, humble, grounded player.
“I love his story, where he has come from professionally to reach this point, but it is clear why he makes this progress,” said Klopp. “He has a burning love for playing football, his attitude is outstanding, his talent and skills are also very, very good. He has experience of this competition, the English Premier League and has the mentality and quality to get even better.”
All of a sudden Liverpool look strong at full-back, with Robertson on the left and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez vying for a place on the right. Virgil Van Dijk should shore up the centre of defence, and if Liverpool can sign another centre-back and a goalkeeper in the summer, they will be the team to beat in next season’s Premier League. Their attacking trio is sensational: Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and the midweek hat-trick hero Sadio Mane deserve all the plaudits coming their way. They can fire Liverpool to glory and the Reds are attracting a huge volume of bets to win the Champions League this year after demolishing Porto. But it all counts for nothing if there is not a solid defensive base, and Liverpool may finally be starting to establish one.
Robertson’s rise is also great news for Scotland as they seek to rebuild ahead of Euro 2020. They failed to reach this summer’s World Cup and if you look at the favourites at https://www.oddschecker.com/au/soccer/world-cup/winner Scotland were never going to trouble the likes of Germany, France and Brazil anyway. But they have some strong young players coming through so they could really make a splash at the next European Championship, and a talented, level-headed star like Robertson could lead the charge.
