The Times - UK (2022-05-28)

the times | Saturday May 28 2022 1GG 11

thegame

2018-19, we had 11 and 12 assists and

everyone thought to have a good

game they have to set up a goal. But

it is not true. Actually watch the

game and see what people are

doing, then maybe the unsung

heroes can get a bit more credit.”

Robertson’s story is often distilled

as a fairytale rise, one that focuses

on rejection by Celtic and the

lifeline offered by Queen’s Park. Yet

that has always glossed over the

hard yards he has put in.

The most important journey he

has undertaken is the one since

joining Liverpool from Hull City in

2017 for a bargain £8.5 million. It is

about patience, initially, to wait for

his chance, then courage, desire,

attitude and, ultimately, quality

when his opportunity came.

These days it is also about

responsibility. Last summer, when

Georginio Wijnaldum left Liverpool

and joined Paris Saint-Germain on

a free transfer, a recalibration of

Liverpool’s leadership committee

took place. Robertson topped the

voting among the rest of the squad

by a distance and he, Alexander-

Arnold and Alisson were brought

into a group that already included

Jordan Henderson, James Milner

and Virgil van Dijk.

There are decisions to be made

off the pitch, but look on it to best

observe Robertson’s influence.

Rewind back to Liverpool’s first

Champions League game of the

campaign, a home tie with AC

Milan, and the opening exchanges

were marked by Robertson, a blur

of red, refusing to let the Italians

settle. Liverpool won 3-2 and have

not looked back.

“The manager always says before

the game for somebody to set the

tone,” Robertson said. “Milly [James

Milner] says it most games, ‘We

need someone to set the tone’.

When I hear that, I believe I can be

the one to do it. The AC Milan one

is probably a perfect example. The

first Champions League game back

in front of [fans] at Anfield.

“I won a couple of balls high up,

created a couple of chances in the

first five minutes, and that set the

tone for the game. Being part of the

leadership group this season means

a lot to me but I think I’ve been one

of the leaders in this team for a

couple of years now.

“I’ve got more responsibility on

my shoulders, which I enjoy. People

look to me for advice and I’m not

the young Robertson anymore. I’m

a wee bit more experienced and I

try to help the young lads.”

So on to Real Madrid.

It is remarkable that just over a

year ago, any discussion about

Liverpool and Europe brought up

the unpalatable prospect of

potentially taking part in the newly

launched Europa Conference

League. It was only in the last

throes of the season that a top-four

finish was secured.

“It was a worry,” Robertson said.

“The squad we have got, if you look

at that and we could be playing in

the Conference League... the

calibre of player we have we should

be in the Champions League. But at

times last season it looked unlikely.”

Yet that makes Liverpool all the

more determined to seize the

opportunity in front of them at the

Stade de France. Robertson recalls

the 2018 final with Real in Kyiv and

now simplifies that 3-1 defeat.

“We were working off adrenaline

and they were working off

experience,” he said, remembering

how none of his team-mates could

sleep on the eve of the fixture. “The

experience always comes out on top

in the end.”

A year later, Liverpool beat

Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid to

begin a rise which continues with

their third final in five years. The

proximity of the fixture to

Scotland’s World Cup qualifier on

Wednesday means Robertson will

have to curtail any celebrations, but

not to the extent that the moment

would pass him by.

At the start of the interview, he

was shown a clip from the

European Cup final between

Liverpool and Real in 1981, also in

the French capital, with a

buccaneering left back by the name

of Alan Kennedy bursting through

to score the winning goal.

Should glorious history repeat

itself tonight, trailing in Robertson’s

slipstream would even appeal to

Alexander-Arnold.

From the archives, page 12

Andrew Robertson has taken to

sidling up to Trent Alexander-

Arnold of late and, leaning in,

whispering a quick aside in his ear

before casually walking off. He will

then wear a smirk in anticipation of

the eruption that is sure to follow.

The back and forth can

sometimes spill over into training

— verbals traded, along with passes.

But the Liverpool left back is, for

once, revelling in having the final

word over his close friend and

opposite full back.

Gary Neville can be pinpointed as

the cause of the arguments. The

Manchester United defender-

turned-pundit was asked to name

his team of the year on Sky Sports

last week and not only selected

Robertson on the left but added

that he was the Premier League’s

best full back “by a mile”.

Such lavish praise took the

Scotland international aback, but

has been gleefully seized upon. “I’ve

used it with Trent for the last week,

by saying, ‘By a mile’ and things like

that,” Robertson said with a smile.

“I walk past and that’s all I need to

say. He knows exactly what I’m

talking about.

“He’s not too happy. He obviously

argues the ‘by a mile’ bit. You could

fill this room with people who

would say he is the best full back by

a mile. We wind each other up on a

lot of things and he usually has the

upper hand. I’ll take this one.”

Neville’s assessment is far from

the only barometer by which

Robertson’s progress can be gauged.

The adulation reserved for the

28-year-old from Liverpool fans, the

medals, and the captain’s armband

that will be wrapped about his bicep

when Scotland face Ukraine in the

World Cup play-off next week, all

highlight a career on fast forward.

Public recognition of Robertson’s

talents felt timely, given the credit

he receives rarely seems to be

proportionate to his contribution on

the pitch. As he comes towards the

end of another season lined with

silver, one which culminates in

tonight’s Champions League final

against Real Madrid in Paris,

Robertson will be among the first

names on Jürgen Klopp’s

teamsheet.

He has had 18 goal involvements

(15 assists and three goals) this

season, which further reflects how

he and Alexander-Arnold have

revolutionised a position that

increasingly demands attacking

flair as well as defensive steel. “The

goal involvements have been big,”

he said. “I have taken more

confidence from games where I

have not had goal involvements.

For instance, Arsenal away [a 2-0

win] is always one I go to.

“I know how good [Bukayo] Saka

can be and I managed to keep him

quiet. That was not a big factor in

us winning, but a big factor in

Arsenal not winning because he is

one who sets the tone for Arsenal.

He is so direct, creates chances, and

I managed to keep him quiet.

“I start the goals off but you don’t

get a stat for that. A lot of people

get fixated on stats now.

“Me and Trent, maybe our

downfall is the success we had. In

Robertson revelling

in Neville’s adulation

PAUL JOYCE

Games played

Goals

Assists

Chances created

Crosses from open play

Tackles

Interceptions

Trent Alexander-

Arnold

Andrew

Robertson

46

2

18

126

186

67

56

46

3

15

87

155

52

38

HOW FULL BACKS COMPARE

Stats for all competitions this season

Robertson has

thrived off the

back of joining

Liverpool’s

leadership

group

PAUL ELLIS/AFP/GETTY

WITH THREE HOURS OF BUILD-UP, THE SIGH’S THE LIMIT

Disappointingly, the

build-up on BT Sport will

not start at 9am (Alyson

Rudd writes). Those who

mock the hyperbole at

the core of football

broadcasting, take note.

No children will be sitting

in their pyjamas spilling

their Rice Krispies on the

rug in front of the TV

while watching footage of

Scousers in Paris dusting

croissant crumbs from

their replica shirts. It is an

enormous error. A mere

three hours of preamble

cannot possibly be

enough to capture the

enormity of the occasion

but at least we have a

sense of this being a

proper event, with Rio

Ferdinand, Michael Owen

and Joe Cole picking their

definitive Champions

League Immortals at 5pm.

Coverage proper starts

at 6pm with Jake

Humphrey, a host who has

so perfected the art of the

big-match sigh that he

might just have left

himself nowhere to go for

this one. Darren Fletcher

will bring his customary

energetic and loud

enthusiasm to the

commentary and in Steve

McManaman BT has one

of the more admirable

co-commentators. Not

only did he play for both

Liverpool and Real Madrid

and knows what it takes

to win the Champions

League, but he also has an

unerring ability to convey

a wide range of emotions

with a single syllable —

usually a firm “No!”

How classy the

coverage is will depend

on the state of health of

those playing drinking

games linked to every

time they see the Eiffel

Tower on screen. More

importantly, though, the

game is free to air so they

can play La Marseillaise as

often as they like.

Co-commentator McManaman, right, with Humphrey

and Ian Wright, played for both clubs in tonight’s final