Andy Robertson acknowledged that in order to help Liverpool return to the Champions League this season, “sacrifices” had to be made.
Since joining Jurgen Klopp’s team at Anfield in July 2017 and moving from Hull for just £8 million, the Scottish left back has established himself as a fixture. Indeed, the German’s dynasty, which has seen The Reds win the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, and World Club Cup under his leadership, has come to be known for its marauding forward runs.
Up until a recent push that saw the Reds win six straight league games to put themselves back in the running for a top-four finish, this season has been a challenging one. Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s use in a more advanced midfield position has been attributed with contributing to their recent run of success; the right back stood out in their 3-0 victory over Leicester on Monday.
For Robertson, who has already appeared 266 times for Liverpool across all competitions, this has meant adopting a more conservative style of play. However, he has stated that he is willing to change in order to help his team: “Yeah, it’s different, maybe a little bit more conservative,” he said, according to the official website of Liverpool FC.
We may have previously been more high and wide, offering runs in behind, and other similar things, but we have obviously adjusted the system a little bit. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices and adapt your role a little bit, and I believe I’ve succeeded in doing that. A sort of back three was used, with Trent stepping in next to Fabinho. Everything is great as long as the team is succeeding; that’s what matters most.
Prior to their final match of the year, a trip to Southampton on May 28, Liverpool will host Aston Villa on Saturday. In order for his team to earn six points, the 29-year-old has pledged to continue participating in attacking play. However, this scenario still depends on errors from either Newcastle or Manchester United.
Naturally, I still try to participate in assaults, overlap my winger, and other things of that nature, but I just need to pick and choose my times, he continued. “I believe that as the games have gone on, I’ve gotten better at picking and choosing the moments and have much better acclimated to the job.
Depending on the formation we use, my game possibly has two different sides. But I feel like I’ve adjusted well to it, and as I said, as long as our team keeps improving and winning, I’ll be happy in that position.
Robertson has experienced the best soccer competition in Europe during each of his six seasons with Liverpool, beginning with their victory against Spurs in the 2018–19 season finale in Madrid. Additionally, he participated in both of Klopp’s final losses to Real Madrid, first in Kyiv during his first season with Liverpool and again in Paris the following year.