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There was a time when a winger barely crossed the midfield line, his main responsibility being to prevent the rival winger from passing them and throwing a cross.
In general, those days are behind us. But it is interesting to note the dual nature of Andy Robertson’s career with the club and the country. Scotland supporters complain about his lack of assists for the national team, but he plays a completely different role with them compared to how he plays for Liverpool.
Old-fashioned left back in international football and near-winger for the Reds. It doesn’t seem to matter what Jürgen Klopp or Steve Clarke ask of Robertson, the 26-year-old is capable of overcoming the challenges presented to him.
The same goes for the problems that opposing teams pose you and your tactical plans to limit your influence in a game. The 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night was a prime example of this, as José Mourinho was clearly concerned about the threat Robertson could pose to his team.
Formations can always be viewed in different ways and are never static. However, it is interesting to note that according to FBRef records, Tottenham played in a 4-4-2 frame at Anfield, deploying that formation for the first time this season.
It was only the second time they had used it since Mourinho took over the club, and the last was when Liverpool visited North London in January. For that match, Tottenham went with Serge Aurier in center right field. In the last clash between the clubs, it was Moussa Sissoko who was stationed there. None of the players are not used to playing in that position, but it is not their usual place on the side either.
As Robertson did not create a scoring opportunity in the previous match, Mourinho could argue that his plan paid off (even if the Scotsman completed the most third-party passes in the game, according to the Stat Zone). Facing a pair of right-backs did not stop Robertson from influencing Liverpool’s ball progression that night, and this was even more apparent at Anfield this week.
The 26th Reds had the most touches of any player on the night, with his total of 69 in the final third, 10 more than Tottenham managed in the corresponding stretch at the other end of the field. While they put down Robertson’s dribbling reasonably well (he completed only one of six attempts, with Aurier, Toby Alderweireld and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg each involved to stop him at some point), the Spurs couldn’t otherwise dispossess him.
It is not possible to get a breakdown by individual opponent, but Sissoko was successful with only one of his 13 pressures in the entire match (according to FBRef). Was that why Mourinho shuffled his backpack, moving the French international to the center and commissioning substitute Lucas Moura to chain Robertson? Or was the quality of Liverpool’s midfield play the cause of Sissoko’s position change?
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Either way, Moura pushed much better than Sissoko, four of his nine were successful, but Robertson was still able to receive 92 of the 93 passes that were sent in his direction overall. For the full time, he had completed more third final passes than the Spurs, created just one less chance than the visiting team, and had helped the important winner.
The Scotsman had only created more goal scoring opportunities in three of his 106 league appearances prior to the Tottenham encounter, so no matter who Mourinho used to try to stop him, Robertson was able to make an impact.
Until Scotland can dominate its opponents in a similar way, it would be unfair to expect its captain to act similarly for the Tartan Army. But no matter what kind of problem an opponent throws at him, the Liverpool left-back seems quite capable of solving it.
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