Sports

Andy Robertson says no one will want to face Liverpool in current form


Andy Robertson has said Liverpool command such respect in Europe they have become the team everyone wants to avoid in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

The European champions secured their place in the last 16 on Tuesday with an authoritative display at Salzburg, containing Jesse Marsch’s positive young team in the first half before dismantling them in the second. It was a performance that demonstrated the European expertise that has taken them to the past two Champions League finals and, Robertson insisted, the confidence to make it a hat-trick at the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul in May.

As group winners Liverpool can land Real or Atlético Madrid in Monday’s draw, among others, and the left-back believes all will hope to avoid a date with a team who have never lost a knockout tie with Jürgen Klopp as manager.

“That is the atmosphere we have created in the last two years,” Robertson said. “A team which has been to the final twice and we are respected in this tournament. Maybe the first season when we went to the final, I don’t think we were really respected until after we went to Porto and washed them away. We did not get the respect we deserved. Now, we know we are respected in Europe. No one will want us but everyone who gets into the last 16 will fancy themselves.

“It is the toughest tournament. The teams you come up against are outstanding and will fancy themselves. Everyone is confident. And when you get to the last 16 you get to the nitty gritty. Last year and the year before we have been excellent in the knockout stages and we have controlled games but we know that now we are the champions everyone wants to beat us. That is what we have to deal with and hopefully we can deal with it well. But there are about 40 games between now and the last 16 so we will worry about that when the time comes.”

Robertson maintains there is no prospect of players becoming complacent. “We need to keep proving why people don’t want to play against us. We know it will be tough but we look forward to the challenge as we want to go far in this tournament again and we have made a big step.”

Ominously for Liverpool’s rivals in the Champions League and Premier League, he believes Liverpool are improving as the season enters a gruelling period. They went 13 matches without keeping a clean sheet before last Saturday’s 3-0 win at Bournemouth and followed that with another shutout in Austria.

“Saturday was the most controlled performance we have had all season,” Robertson said. “Bournemouth could not deal with us and we controlled the game maturely in the second half. We kept the ball and kept the clean sheet.

“Against Salzburg, we were really determined to keep a clean sheet because we would be through. Score a goal, it did not matter, but keep a clean sheet. We gave away some chances but we defended when we had to and Ali [Alisson] made some saves. It was a very good performance.

“Salzburg are quite a unique team in the way they play with four players up front with two running behind and deliberately going offside so the other two can run through. It is difficult to defend against but we dealt with them well. They played well but unfortunately for them, they came in front of a very good, very mature team. In the second half we took care of business.”



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.