Expert Adrian Clarke believes that Andy Robertson can help Jurgen Klopp unlock Brentford’s 5-3-2 tactical scheme in the match of round 25 of the Premier League.
The Scottish player has completely recovered from his shoulder injury and had a good first match for Liverpool in more than four months, at home against Burnley last weekend. In his absence, Konstantinos Tsimikas and Joe Gomez were used instead, but Robertson was still basically superior to his two teammates.
The 29-year-old star possesses a comprehensive set of skills and dynamism in his playing style that is hard to match with any left-back in the world. After making his first start since last October, helping Liverpool defeat Burnley 3-1, Robertson declared that he is completely comfortable at the moment.
The Red Brigade are in an extremely tense race with Manchester City and Arsenal to win the Premier League title, and every match ahead of them is a final. Therefore, Robertson’s return is really important, at least in the trip to Brentford in round 25.
Robertson immediately showed high performance after returning.
The difference in his attack support compared to teammate Joe Gomez will help Liverpool confidently solve the constricted 5-3-2 formation that Thomas Frank is applying to the Bees . When the English defender plays, he often tends to move forward to create an overload for the opponent in the midfield area.
Although very excellent, this has caused Klopp’s team to have a bit of an unbalanced squad. Meanwhile, Andy Robertson tends to stick to the edge more. He ensures stability in the home field, and is also very willing to participate in supporting the attack.
The Scottish player will bring more diversity to Liverpool’s ball distribution, when Virgil van Dijk, Jarell Quansah or Gomez himself will launch long passes aimed at the position chosen by Andy Robertson, in order to stretch the ball. opponent’s defense.
Robertson ran up to catch a long pass from the defenders.
Above is a situation where the Red Brigade’s attack was redirected against Wolverhampton earlier this season, when Robertson was not injured. It helps Klopp’s students open up very bright opportunities to approach the opponent’s goal.
When the Scottish defender appears, Liverpool often chooses to attack on the left wing to take advantage of his ability to move and choose space. Robertson is also excellent at crossing the ball, and he has consistently been ranked among the best crossers in the EPL since 2017.
The situation below in the recent match against Burnley shows that. He made a very flexible cross into the opponent’s penalty area for the Liverpool striker to score. This is the weapon that Klopp definitely wants his students to display against Brentford.
Robertson has very flexible and accurate crosses.
The accuracy of his crosses is much better than his two teammates, Tsimikas and Gomez. Among Liverpool players with at least 5 crosses this season, Robertson has the highest pass success rate with 28.57%.
The Bees’ defenders also have to be wary of the 29-year-old defender’s acceleration . Among the left backs of the Anfield home team, Robertson ranks first in maximum speed (34.4km/h), and number of sprints. He also makes 3.8 key passes per 90 minutes, higher than Gomez (2.5) and Tsimikas (1.9).
When he has the ball at his feet, the Scottish player will move forward with great speed and determination. If Brentford leaves space, they will have to pay the price for Robertson. After all, this star’s return is a gift to Klopp in competing for the Premier League championship.