After Liverpool lost to Manchester City yesterday, Jurgen Klopp was seen ‘going crazy’ at Andy Robertson
The Reds did take the lead for a brief period on Saturday at the Etihad, though it seems like a long time ago. There was hope, if only for a little while. It was quickly crushed, however, as City’s Julian Alvarez tied the game just 10 minutes after Mohamed Salah had scored the game’s first goal.
Considering that Liverpool had just been on the attack, the goal wasn’t a great one to give up. Riyad Mahrez dragged Virgil van Dijk out into the left-back position as Robertson was pinned up the field, eventually creating space for Alvarez to tap in.
In addition, Jamie O’Hara claimed that Klopp wasn’t pleased with his left-back when discussing the goal with a caller to TalkSPORT yesterday.
The pundit remarked, “He dove in for the first goal and you could see Jurgen Klopp on the sidelines going crazy at Robertson. He kept falling into it. They simply played close to him.
Reds make amends for Robertson incident
Unfortunately, this is not the first time this season that Robertson has been taken by surprise in a similar way. If things don’t go according to plan, Liverpool could be severely exposed by his high-pressing style. Not just Klopp, but Jamie Carragher also brought this up during yesterday’s game.
It’s always risky to try and win the ball high up the pitch against City’s caliber. This time, the left-back was unsuccessful in his attempt to intercept a Kevin de Bruyne pass close to the halfway point.
Well, what is he supposed to do, some might say? Robertson was already elevated in the pitch, so it wasn’t as if he sprinted out of position. Jordan Henderson was unable to get close to De Bruyne in any way, so someone had to apply pressure to the ball.
Robbo would have put Liverpool on the attack right away if he had been successful in intercepting the pass. Instead, De Bruyne discovered Mahrez, and the Reds were unable to regroup.
These are the things that seem to be consistently working against Liverpool this season, even though they are only small margins. Where once their pressing was almost faultless, it is now a weapon against them.
Although Klopp has every right to be disappointed by that, it is not an unusual occurrence. Since the opening bell of the season away at Fulham, the Reds have been doing these things incorrectly. Since then, Robertson has been held accountable a few times, but Jurgen’s directives never seem to change. Maybe it’s time for a review at last.
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