REAL MADRID v LIVERPOOL
ANDY ROBERTSON never doubted it. Not for a second.
Jurgen Klopp may have paid £10million to sign him from Hull last summer but as he was stuck on the sidelines behind Alberto Moreno during his early months at Liverpool, the Scot’s credentials were being severely scrutinised.
He’s unable to cope. He’s incapable of making the big step. He’s not good enough to mix with the elite.
Robertson, as he has done all his career, believed in himself. Ignored the doubters and set about dispelling their cynicism.
Tonight, when he steps on to the pristine turf in Kiev’s Olympic Sports Complex for the biggest game in club football, the 24-year-old will be among the game’s elite.
Never once did he doubt he could make the Anfield grade and his talent and temperament have yet again proved him right.
He knew he’d need to make adjustments.
From Queen’s Park, to Dundee United, to Hull and then Liverpool, each assignment required an increase in standards and demands and an ability to fit into the systems and set-ups adopted by his respective managers.
Robertson knew it would take time, especially as he was coping with the added strains of becoming a father for the first time to son Rocco, who turns nine months old today.
But this week, sitting down with Record Sport at Anfield, he wore the look of a contented man.
He said: “I always believed I could break through here.
“When the move to Liverpool came about and after the wow factor died down, I felt I could play in this team. I hope I’ve proved that even though I don’t really see a key moment.
“A lot of people down here were looking at it and thinking it’s a new left-back who has arrived and he’s not in the squad and not in the team but I needed time and Liverpool played different to Hull.
“No disrespect to Hull but we defended and sat back a lot. At Liverpool we are one of the most attacking teams in the world.
“We have the possession and it was a big change, as well as working under a new manager with new team-mates.
“People also forget Alberto Moreno was playing well. He was proving any doubters that he had wrong and was putting in good performances.
“Unfortunately for him, he got injured and that’s when I had to step up. Not for me but for the team.
“Luckily I managed to do that and now I am playing week in and week out.”
Robertson’s progression shouldn’t come as any shock to anyone who knows his back story.
Yet, as he explained this week before departing for Kiev, it’s the present and the future that takes his attention. The present has been his rapid rise in stature at Liverpool. Managing to get that week-in, week-out position.
Robertson is now cemented into the role with his swashbuckling style winning favour with the Liverpool supporters and also bagging him a rare goal in the final-day Premier League win over Brighton.
Klopp has used the 13 days since that 4-0 rout of the Seagulls to relax and recuperate his troops.
Robertson and his teammates went to Marbella for a sunshine break before returning to Merseyside this week to begin preparation.
He said: “It has been a long countdown but broken up quite well. Going to Marbella last week was big after securing a top-four slot as it’s been a long and hard season.
“It was good to get some sun about us even though it was hard work.”
Hard work has been necessary because Liverpool face a huge task.
Real Madrid are big favourites to win the trophy again and have the glittering world stars who overshadow even the talents within the Anfield set-up.
For Mo Salah, Real have Cristiano Ronaldo. For Roberto Firmino, they have Gareth Bale. For Sadio Mane, they have Isco. For Jordan Henderson, they have Toni Kroos. For Virgil van Dijk, they have Sergio Ramos. You could even argue that for Robertson, they have Marcelo who is arguably the best left-back on the planet.
But none of this matters to the Scot.
It hasn’t bothered him in the build-up and it’s not going to concern him when the action gets under way in the Ukrainian capital in front of a global audience.
Robertson said: “We know how hard it will be and you can think too much about opponents.
“I try not to look at them individually but as a team.
“People maybe focus on Ronaldo because he and Lionel Messi are the two best players in the world. But if you just focus on him, Bale or Isco can pop up. So you need to focus on them all.
“We will put a plan together to try our best to beat them.”