Andy Robertson is part of the furniture at Anfield. The Scottish left back has been a key part of the Liverpool first team since joining from Hull City in 2017, making over 300 appearances for the Merseyside outfit. Recently, though, Robertson has been a shadow of his former self. His form is becoming a problem.<\/p>\n
Robertson conceded the penalty from which Southampton equalised against Liverpool in Sunday\u2019s Premier League meeting at St Mary\u2019s Stadium. The 30-year-old has also struggled in recent matches against Arsenal and Chelsea with opponents now targeting Robertson on the left side of Liverpool\u2019s defence.<\/p>\n
Not much has been a problem for Liverpool this season with the Reds currently sitting at the top of the Premier League table. Many anticipated a drop-off after the departure of Jurgen Klopp at the end of last season, but Arne Slot has picked up where the legendary German left off. Liverpool are growing into title frontrunners.<\/p>\n
At left back, though, Robertson has been a weak link. Now 30 years old, it\u2019s possible the Scotland international doesn\u2019t have the physicality and mobility to command an entire wing like he did during his peak for Klopp\u2019s Liverpool. Noni Madueke and Bukayo Saka both tore Robertson to shreds by driving at him in games this season.<\/p>\n
They won\u2019t be the last wingers to give the Scot a tough time with Liverpool set to face Real Madrid in the Champions League this week. Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior might be positioned on the opposite side to Robertson, but the European champions have plenty of attacking talent to test him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think his current situation is what you can expect if a player misses out on pre-season and a new manager comes in \u2013 you miss quite a lot,\u201d said Slot when asked to explain Robertson\u2019s struggles. \u201cYou have to go into a programme where you\u2019ve missed the base tactically, when it comes to us [a new management team], and physically as well.<\/p>\n
Then, when you start to play, maybe he thinks a bit too much because there are not many things different but in some situations we ask for a bit different positioning from a left-back. For me, he is a bit in that period of time where he is thinking: \u2018OK, I\u2019m here now, should I be here or there?\u2019 The moment he stops thinking but is just acting on what we expect he will be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kostas Tsimikas has started five games in the Premier League and Champions League this season, hinting that Slot is open to the idea of a different option at left back. The Greek is able to invert into central midfield, giving Liverpool a different dimension in their build-up play going forward.<\/p>\n
If, however, Slot wants to maintain the dynamic of his defensive line with a left back capable of getting forward and supplying Liverpool\u2019s attackers, the Anfield club might have to enter the transfer market to find a long-term replacement for Robertson. The Scot\u2019s recent form might give them no choice.<\/p>\n
Of course, Slot could be right about Robertson\u2019s lack of a pre-season. The 30-year-old has suffered a series of persistent injuries in 2024 and carried a knock for Scotland at Euro 2024. While Robertson\u2019s teammates had the summer to get used to the ideas of Liverpool\u2019s new manager, the left back is now learning on the job.<\/p>\n
In recent times, though, Liverpool have proved themselves as willing to replace key figures when they start to fade. When Jordan Henderson started to decline, they moved him on. The Reds did the same to Roberto Firmino and Thiago Alcantara. Robertson might be next to be phased out of the team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Andy Robertson is part of the furniture at Anfield. The Scottish left back has been a key part of the Liverpool first team since joining from Hull City in 2017, making over 300 appearances for the Merseyside outfit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":54847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[272],"class_list":["post-56938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport","tag-featurehome"],"yoast_head":"\n