Andy Robertson was one of three half-time changes made by Arne Slot as Liverpool turned its game around against Southampton this weekend to move 16 points clear of Arsenal. And a much better performance will be required midweek in the Champions League.
“Yeah, you can say that again,” Robertson told reporters post-match when asked if it was a ‘game of two halves’. “I think we actually started the game quite well the first five to 10 minutes, we kind of had them pushed back.
“But the next 35 minutes was nowhere near good enough. I thought we were a bit lethargic, looked a bit tired, and they were able to enter the game with a bit of confidence. The second half was completely different: we brought the energy, we created chances, and we deserved to win in the end.”
“I think [the half-time subs] made a difference,” he continued. “The instruction was pretty clear coming on: the manager just said to the three of us ‘Just try and bring more energy and legs to the team’, and all three of us did that.
“Harvey [Elliott] continued on the high wave from what he did on Wednesday night; he was excellent. Macca has been excellent all season and I know what I can do in moments — drive forward and drive with the team.
“It made the difference, which helps as we’ve always said we need the full squad and it was our three’s turn to be on the bench and then come on. I thought Wata and Jots came on and made a big difference and thankfully we got the win.”
Coming between two tough games with PSG in the Champions League, it was never going to be an easy game for Liverpool against Southampton. And Robertson admitted that will have played a part on Saturday.
(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
“[PSG was] a game we’re not overly used to in terms of how big the difference in possession was, how many shots they had and how many shots we had,” he said. “Usually our games are a lot more even or we are the other team so it was a lot different.
“It took a lot out of the lads, of course it did. But to win leagues, to win trophies, you have to be able to keep doing it every three days and luckily we had the squad; we needed energy and we when I was talking to the lads on the bench I said ‘Make sure you’re ready because you’re going to be needed’.
“That was quite obvious from 15 to 20 minutes into the game. The lads took that onto the pitch and we helped bring energy to the lads who were maybe feeling tired.”
Come Tuesday, Liverpool will have to find a way of going again. PSG has already shown how dangerous it can be — and its players have been sending confident messages in the media.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” Robertson said. “They showed how good they can be, an exceptional team — probably the best we have played this season.
Learn more
“We have got the lead, which is important, but we can obviously play better than we did on Wednesday. That’s clear and we will have to play better as we can’t rely on Alisson playing the game of his life every game.
“We have to be better, we have to be better without the ball, and if we do that, hopefully the crowd can be behind us as we know what they can be like on Champions League nights. The aim is to get through but we have to play a lot better than we did in the first half today and the whole 90 minutes over there.”
Harvey Elliott’s goal snatched a late win for Liverpool at the Parc des Princes but the tie is far from over. That late strike far from told the story of the game.
“They were excellent,” Robertson said. “The crowd was up, it was a really big game for them, and their fans when another big team comes in the Champions League.
“Since they’ve had the big investment, it is clear their aim is to win the Champions League so all that was factored in. But we can play a lot better, we know that.
(Image: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
“I thought they played really well but I thought the defense and goalie stood up when they had to and kept a clean sheet, which not many teams do in that stadium. We need to play better, there is no denying that.
“We have to be more front-footed, but we will need to rest, recover, and when we are back in training, the game plan will be clear. Hopefully on Tuesday night we’ll be talking when we’re through to the quarter-finals.
“Of course, the stadium made a difference on Wednesday as their players reacted off their fans. More often than not on Champions League nights, our players do that and we don’t need to ask our fans to be at their best
“It’s a given and it’s up to us to react off that and perform because it’s not easy to get into the Champions League quarter-finals — especially the draw we’ve been given.
“It’s not going to be easy but if we are at our best we believe we can beat any team. If we do that, we will be the ones in the last eight.”
