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Andy Robertson is having to fight for his place in the Liverpool starting XI and his future at Anfield with the vice-captain firing a warning for those who have written him off.
One of the many problems that Arne Slot has to fix is the defence and it was no surprise to see two of the best performances of the season look more familiar.
Andy Robertson was restored to the back line to face Aston Villa and Real Madrid and was outstanding, but then found himself back on the bench for the defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend. The Scotland captain is still on a high after leading his country to their first World Cup since 1998 only to return to Anfield and the earth with a thump. The 31-year old might not be at his best, however, he still has a lot to offer, a point he has made in an interview with Sky Sports.
Andy Robertson defiant with Liverpool future under threat
The apparent rush to immediately install Milos Kerkez as Liverpool’s first choice left-back has backfired spectacularly with the £45m summer signing struggling to make any sort of impact in the final third whilst being caught out of position at the other end too.
International teammate John McGinn is in a similar position but feels that, despite being in his 30s, can still be a key player. When asked if he can take inspiration from the Villa skipper, Robertson joked: "I’m not sure he’s got a lot to offer! If you're 29 and play a bad game, it's just one bad game. If you're 30, it's because of your age! I've still got a lot to offer."
Robertson is reported to be on £85,000 per week and even a renewal wouldn’t be hugely expensive for Liverpool. They could certainly offer more than Celtic who are said to have offered a deal to Robertson. Not only does he bring leadership to Liverpool’s defence, but he has the same aggression that he first arrived from Hull City with, even if the pace isn’t quite what it once was.
Are Liverpool suffering a crisis of confidence?
Addressing Liverpool’s current plight, Robertson knows that the players around him haven’t lost the ability to play football overnight, but that there is a long road back to recovery. When asked if confidence is an issue, he said: "Potentially. You probably need to ask individuals on that, but it's up to the experienced lads to make sure that that doesn't happen, because you don't turn into a world-class player overnight, but you also don't turn into a bad player overnight.
"I think that's always been the case. One game, you're the best player in the world. The next game, you're benched and the worst player in the world. And that's the world we live in. So it's important that the lads aren't maybe too much on social media, the lads aren't reading too much or listening to too much and we try and stay in our own bubble. That's always what the experienced lads here, the older lads have done so well over the years. And it's important now that we all do that more so than ever, because I still believe in this squad.
"I still believe in every single player in this changing room. And I believe the good times will come again. But we need to show it and we need to show it sooner rather than later, because it's now gone on for too long for being at Liverpool. The league position isn't great and the only way by doing that is playing better, by working harder. And if we do that, then hopefully we start climbing it again."
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