Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
’Pool title triumph can inspire Scotland to end 22-year exile says Robbo
ANDY Robertson insists Scotland can draw inspiration from Liverpool’s historic title win as they bid to end more than 20 years of hurt.
The 26-year-old was a pivotal part of the Reds side which last week claimed their first English Premier League crown since 1990.
And the former Dundee United and Queen’s Park kid has drawn parallels between the way Jurgen Klopp approached the Anfield hoodoo and Scotland’s own absence from major finals, which stretches back to France 98.
Steve Clarke’s men host Israel in a Euro 2020 playoff in October, with the winners going on to face either Norway or Serbia for a place at next summer’s re-arranged showpiece.
Scotland skipper Robertson said: “The Tartan Army are desperate to get back to major tournaments and we want to be able to deliver.
“What our manager (Klopp) said down here was: ‘It was 30 years without a Premier League title but you’ve only been involved in one or two of those seasons, so let’s not think about the last 28 years that you could do nothing about’.
“That’s the same for Scotland. None of us played in 1998. We need to forget about that.
“Instead, we need to say ‘we weren’t good enough in the last qualifying campaign, which most of us were a part of, and we need to learn from that’.
“We’re young, improving and the future is interesting for us. But we need to go out and prove that now.”
And Robertson has no doubt Clarke, who took up the reins of the national side in May 2019, is the right man to end the country’s exile from major tournaments.
He continued: “Steve has been involved at the highest level – assistant manager at Chelsea and Liverpool – and he knows what it takes.
“Since day one and that first training session where he met the lads, he has laid down those standards.
“He doesn’t have a lot of time to spend with the players and get his point across in international football but now we are slowly starting to see that.
“We’ve won our last three games and, hopefully, although it’s been a long break from international football, we have confidence and self-belief to get positive results in the next eight games.”
Meanwhile, Robertson is adamant there is more to come from his own development despite adding a Premier League winners’ medal to his Champions League win from last summer.
It has been a stunning journey from Scotland’s League Two – but he says Merseyside boss Klopp can make him even better in the coming campaigns.
Robertson continued: “He is an incredible coach and has a couple of incredible coaches supporting him.
“That’s why so many people improve when they come to Liverpool. I think the majority of his signings – if not them all – have either left a better player or improved massively at this club.
“I love the way I’m progressing and I know I’ve got a lot of improvement in me.
“I know I can do that under him and at Liverpool.”