Robertson Loves a Clean Sheet Most of All
The two goals were important, but so was the nil
Andy Robertson spoke to Liverpoolfc.com following Liverpool’s comfortable 2-0 win at the Etihad this weekend, and fully highlighted his defenders’ union credentials:
“First of all, beating City home and away is never easy. I think since the likes of me and Mo [Mohamed Salah] came in seven, eight years ago, we’ve only won here in the Champions League, so it’s obviously a really tough place to come and they always make it difficult.
“Then when you see the line-up and think they’re coming out to play, they’re coming out to attack – and I think that’s what their line-up showed but we also knew that would leave spaces in the other end.
“I think defensively we did so well as a team – not just the back four or Ali [Alisson Becker], I think the whole team defended so well.
“The wingers put in such a shift, Curtis [Jones] and Dom [Dominik Szoboszlai] at the top end of the pitch pressed so well. I think we limited a good team to a very small amount of chances or clear-cut chances anyway.
“I think that was the most pleasing thing, keeping the clean sheet, because we know with the quality that we’ve got in the team that we can score goals. The clean sheet was really important and we’re all delighted with that.”
The left-back continued: “You’re 2-0 up at half-time and you know they’re going to throw everything at it. City at home are never going to lie down to anyone.
“But like I said, I don’t really remember them having a clear-cut chance in the second half, which from our point of view was so pleasing.
“We could have been better on the ball, of course, but we’re 2-0 up and it’s all about the clean sheet.
“I think the lads were putting in so much energy and such a good shift to keep that clean sheet then maybe on the ball they were a little bit tired and things like that.
“This afternoon couldn’t have gone much better and now we have to move on.”
Robertson is spot on in highlighting how the success in the squad’s tactics was not just through the goals scored away from home, but also in the lack of threat shown by the current holders of the Premier League and Champions League trophies.
Liverpool’s defense seemed to call Pep Guardiola’s side’s bluff, asking them what they could come up with in possession. That the answer was absolutely nothing speaks to their current quality, but also to the discipline of Liverpool’s back line (and support elsewhere).
What has seemed to challenge the Reds this season has not been opposition genius, but rather a tendency to switch off, or to become ever-so-briefly complacent in moments when it’s clear the game plan is working (this is why we’ve seen Liverpool concede amidst a period of near-complete dominance in recent weeks and months).
The history and ingrained memory of games at the Etihad meant it might have been easier to maintain focus for a full match against Manchester City, but — despite general physical tiredness and emotional exhaustion — the hope is that the proximity of the end of the campaign makes it that much easier to maintain this focus against other sides as well.
A tired Liverpool face Newcastle at home mid-week, and you’d think a win at Anfield would make the mental challenge — if not quite the literal mathematical challenge — of catching the Reds feel all but impossible for Arsenal.
Asked what the team was doing to prepare for yet another quick turnaround, Robertson stressed pragmatism:
“Certainly for our fans it’ll be nice to look at [the table] but there’s still work to do. I think that’s where us experienced lads that have been involved in title races, where we’ve won and also lost them, we know how important every single game is.
“That’s why the next game is already around the corner and we have to make sure that everyone will be on it. The recovery has already started, the lads were already focused on what has to happen on Wednesday.
“If our fans are getting carried away then we know we’re doing something right and we have to let them get carried away – but it’s important the changing room doesn’t get carried away.
“That’s where the experienced lads come into it and we’ll make sure that the lads stay grounded until, hopefully, the champions sign is above our head.
“But we know there’s a lot of football still to be played and we need to keep pushing. If we get through this busy period, there’s obviously an international break and then we’ll come back and try to attack it.
“But we’ve got another massive game on Wednesday and if we get three points there then we’ve come through a really tough period with a handsome amount of points.”
Is right the lads. There’s memory there of winning a title, but also of losing two late-on. Both can drive them forward.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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