Is Andrew Robertson’s race run? Legendary Liverpool left-back is becoming Reds’ weak link under Arne Slot

Bukayo Saka was a major fitness doubt for last Sunday’s Premier League clash with Liverpool. You wouldn’t have guessed that from the way he played at the Emirates.

Saka opened the scoring inside 10 minutes after taking advantage of Robertson’s poor positioning to latch onto a long ball over the top from Ben White, before sitting the Scot down with a sharp turn inside onto his preferred left foot and then firing home.

In fact, if anyone looked to be carrying an injury, it was the Liverpool left-back, who was miles off the pace for the majority of the 63 minutes he was on the field.

As well as being given a torrid time by Saka on Sunday, Robertson was also poor in possession (he had a worse pass completion percentage than Darwin Nunez) and offered absolutely nothing going forward, making just one entry into the final third and failing to create a single chance.

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  ‘Found out’

  Of course, Robertson’s primary objective was to contain Saka, but it’s fair to say he failed in that regard, with the abject nature of his performance provoking an awful lot of panic among Liverpool followers.

  “The club 100 percent needs to consider a new left-back in January to replace Andy Robertson,” former Reds winger Jermaine Pennane told Instant Casino. “I was saying it during the game: Robertson has been an absolutely fantastic servant for the club over the years, but he definitely got found out against Bukayo Saka.

  “Yes, you don’t come up against that calibre of opposition every week, but you could see he was having a tough afternoon. He’s not as quick anymore, so I think it’s imperative that Liverpool address it soon.”

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  ‘Tired just looking at Robertson’

  It’s unfair to write Robertson off just yet. He’s had some underwhelming spells in the past and quickly got back to his best.

  There are also few more honest or industrious players in the Liverpool squad. He’ll be the first to admit that his level has dropped this season, and a man once described as “an animal” by Klopp because of his insane work ethic will undoubtedly be doing everything to address the dip.

  Of course, there’s no denying that Robertson presently looks nothing like the force of nature he was while Liverpool were winning major trophies, when he was arguably the personification of the relentless Reds that conquered Europe before ending the club’s English title drought.

  As Jose Mourinho once quipped, “They are fast, they are intense, they are aggressive, they are physical and they play 200 miles per hour with and without the ball – I am still tired just looking at Robertson! He makes 100-metre sprints every minute!”

  We’ve seen little of that version of Robertson so far this season. There have been no goals or assists and very few of the rampaging runs that used to characterise his all-action game.

  On the plus side, there haven’t been any glaring errors from a defensive perspective but, at the same time, he’s unquestionably proven increasingly susceptible to pace.

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  Targeting Liverpool’s left flank

  Robertson didn’t actually do a bad job keeping Noni Madueke quiet against Chelsea the week before the Arsenal draw, but it’s worth remembering that he did also end up on the deck while trying to keep up with the winger in a very similar situation to the Saka goal.

  It’s also been noticeable that some sides are starting to target Liverpool’s left flank. Most opponents usually try to exploit the space in behind the much-maligned Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is given greater freedom to attack than fellow full-back Robertson. However, in the Champions League clash with Bologna, Vincenzo Italiano’s team very clearly identified Robertson as a weak link and it was telling that the Scot, who has also seen his performances at international level come under serious scrutiny in recent weeks and months, was hauled off with 20 minutes to go while already on a booking for a blatant pull on Stefan Posch, who had got away from him with alarming ease.

  Robertson is still only 30 and has pointed out this season that new manager Arne Slot has placed a greater emphasis on his defensive responsibilities, which would at least explain why his attacking output has fallen. The fear, though, is that Liverpool’s bargain buy from Hull City is starting to feel the effects of playing full-throttle football under Klopp for close to seven full seasons – in much the same way that two other long-term servants, Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, lost their legs shortly before moving on.

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  ‘Very healthy competition’

  It’s certainly telling that Robertson’s struggles against Saka didn’t come as much of a surprise to Liverpool fans, some of whom had been calling for Slot to instead start Tsimikas at the Emirates.

  In the end, the manager kept faith with Robertson, but there’s mounting speculation that he’ll be benched against Brighton on Saturday – particularly as he was one of the few ‘regulars’ to start Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win against the same opposition at the Amex, where Tariq Lamptey’s speed caused the Glaswegian no end of problems.

  Of course, Liverpool are lucky in the sense that they’ve always had an international-level reserve for Robertson, and Tsimikas says that their pair enjoy “very, very good relationship”.

  “We are together almost every day and we laugh a lot,” the Greek stated again only a couple of weeks ago. “A very healthy competition, as it had to be from the start.”

  Never before, though, has the former Olympiacos ace been such a credible threat to Robertson’s first-choice status. Indeed, Tsimikas proved an excellent attacking outlet in the hard-fought Champions League win over RB Leipzig, and UEFA ended up giving him the Man of the Match award.

  In truth, Caoimhin Kelleher might have been a more worthy recipient on the night, given the Irishman made several key saves in Liverpool’s 1-0 win, but there was no disputing that Tsimikas had been key, with one of his many excellent deliveries leading to the only goal of the game.

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  Let battle commence!

  It should obviously be acknowledged that while Tsimikas has nearly always stepped up to the mark when called upon, doubts remain over whether he is really good enough to be a starter for a team with Liverpool’s lofty ambitions.

  Pennant certainly doesn’t think he’s up to the task: “Kostas did a better job [than Robertson] when he came on against Arsenal, but is he really a long-term, first-choice option? I don’t think so. The club needs to look for one in January.”

  Whether the Reds would really consider going into the market midway through the season remains to be seen – though they have been previously linked with a move for Fulham’s Antonee Robinson. What is clear, though, is that Liverpool’s long-time understudy is staking a serious claim for the left-back role.

  Tsimikas versus Robertson may not have been much of a battle before – but it is now.