Andy Robertson took on a new role in Liverpool’s recent Europa League triumph, drawing attention to a potential tactical shift by Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp hinted at the possibility of Robertson assuming a more central defensive position for Liverpool going forward.
Since joining from Hull City in 2017, Robertson has primarily operated as a left-back, playing a pivotal role in Liverpool’s achievements under Klopp. His contributions have been instrumental in the club’s conquest of seven major trophies, including the Champions League and Premier League titles.
Robertson found himself positioned in the heart of the defence in Thursday’s dominant 6-1 victory over Sparta Prague at Anfield. As Liverpool maintained a commanding 9-2 aggregate lead, later extended to 11-2, Joe Gomez was withdrawn at halftime.
Given Virgil van Dijk’s rest ahead of the upcoming FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, and with Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate sidelined due to injury, Robertson seamlessly transitioned into the center-back role and delivered an impressive performance.
It’s a development that could pave the way for Liverpool in the future if they find themselves in need of alternatives once more. Addressing the upcoming match against United, Klopp told journalists:
“We were 4-0 up and 5-1 [from the first leg], so that’s the moment when you think, ‘OK, we take off now x, y and z.’ I don’t think we would have played Robbo [Andy Robertson] as a centre-half if it’s 0-0 or we are 2-0 down – but he did exceptionally well, by the way, so he’s the next one who opened the door for a new position.
“That’s the only reason for it. How I said, that’s really strange, you cannot believe that you are 4-1 up at half-time and on aggregate obviously 9-2, so even the biggest pessimist would not think that we will not go through to the next round.
“That was because of that, no other reason. Usually you really have no time and no resources to think about the next game but that’s why we did the changes we made.”