Robertson reaps reward for his hard graft
Liverpool left-back was released by his beloved Celtic but showed the spirit to make it to top
When Liverpool lost last year’s Champions League final, Andy Robertson went to Homebase the next day to buy a barbecue. There will be no repeat visit this weekend, because he still has the same outdoor cooker. He just wants it to be a “party” this time, not a wake.
Robertson, 25, is the best left-back in the Premier League and is developing a claim to be the world’s finest. His story is all about hard graft and rejection, by his beloved Celtic, which he overcame. This obscures the outstanding ability of an attacking defender who treats every opponent with the same fearlessness, including Lionel Messi, who was so unsettled by him in Liverpool’s miraculous 4-0 win over Barcelona.
“The reason why I’m a Liverpool player is the same reason why I’m captain of my country: I’ve worked my b-------s off to get where I am, and by doing that, I’ve been able to make the most of whatever talent I have,” Robertson said this week in an interview with The Players’ Tribune. He is too modest.
On the pitch at the club’s Melwood training ground, meanwhile, he stood near where he threw up while being put through his paces during a two-day medical as part of his move from Hull. Robertson took time to claim the left-back shirt but his progress has been spectacular. A devoted Celtic fan who had green wallpaper in his bedroom, he was so upset at being released by the club of his
‘If we have 100 per cent effort, and have a good game, play to our best, then we’ll deserve it’
dreams that he ended up “sobbing over my curry” (The Players’ Tribune again).
Ten years on, he is a huge asset to Jurgen Klopp’s back four, not only talent-wise but in his steely outlook. Like the Clint Eastwood character in Unforgiven, Robertson says “deserve” has nothing to do with Liverpool’s quest to make up for not winning the league with 97 points.
He says: “I’ve heard a few people say that, but for me we don’t deserve anything yet. The Premier League shows that. A lot of people would say 97 points deserves the Premier League, but it didn’t because Manchester City got 98. They were that little bit better than us in the end. We deserve nothing, only what we put into the game and what we get out. If we have 100 per cent effort, and have a good game, play to our best, then we’ll deserve it.”
A quick and flinty full-back, Robertson is already regarded by many as Liverpool’s all-time best left-back. But he knows what the true measure is for this team. “We just think we need to win trophies to be a successful team, whether that’s on Saturday or next season or the season after. We won’t stop trying,” he says.
A question about Liverpool’s relentless winning habit brings a semi-rebuke, out of respect for Spurs. “We’ve been ruthless this season, and we need to be ruthless again,” he says. “But I’ve watched Tottenham over the last three or four years under [Mauricio] Pochettino and they’re a ruthless team as well. The way they go about things and the way they win games, they destroy teams at times.
“They beat us last season and if they perform like that then we’ll be in for a hell of a game against a fantastic team with fantastic players. At the top end of the Premier League, you have to be ruthless. Even just to get in the top four is hard. If we can take that into our game, I believe we have enough to win it, but we have to prove it.”
Robertson hopes for something less mundane this Sunday than a trip to a DIY warehouse. “I’ve still got that barbecue actually, so there’ll be no need to go to Homebase,” he says. “But obviously we’re hoping for much happier feelings. Last year [against Real Madrid] was a massive disappointment, there’s no hiding away from that.
“Hopefully, we’ll be feeling better this time, but we know what hard work has to go in to achieve that. If we can do that, it’ll be a better party.”