Robertson: “We Knew It Was Going To Be A Frustrating Afternoon”

The signing of Andy Robertson from Hull City this Summer appeared to be a step in the right direction of fixing Liverpool’s defensive woes. Then the inability to sign a quality center half this Summer resulted in maybe two steps back. Despite a bright debut against Crystal Palace, the Scot only made his second appearance in Red on Saturday as Burnley traveled to Anfield. A match that only ended up feeling like a rerun of matches Liverpool fans have already seen. An early goal conceded and an inability to break down a park-the-bus defense resulted in a draw for the Reds - an outcome Robertson himself was prepared for.

“From the get-go we knew it was going to be a frustrating afternoon,” Robertson said following yesterday’s match. “You know what Burnley give, they don’t change the way they play and at the end of the day, like the manager said before the game, it’s effective and they’re really good at it.

“So we knew it was going to be frustrating and then it kept on going that way, the goalkeeper’s made some magnificent saves today and we’ve just not got the rub of the green. Sometimes that’s what you need, but I don’t think we were good enough today.”

Liverpool all but dominated the game, with 71% possession and 86% passing accuracy, but with 35 shots, 9 of them on target, and not a single one able to touch the net, the questions started coming up. With two chances for a penalty drawn by Mohamed Salah ignored by the referee as well, it felt pretty clearly that Saturday was not going to be their day.

“I think Mo said at half-time that he didn’t feel the first one was a penalty, I think the guy did well to get a block in, but he came in at the end of the game and he’s adamant that the second one’s a penalty,” the left-back continued. “I was too far away, it looked like a penalty from where I was, but the referee obviously didn’t see it.

“We need to move on from that, but we did make a few good chances. Dom’s one I thought was in all the way, and like I said the ‘keeper’s made an unbelievable save, but we need to do more, put them under more pressure and their goal could probably have been avoided as well.”

With a disappointing draw against Sevilla following the heartbreaking loss to Manchester City, many supporters and players were hoping the match up against Burnley would restore confidence and put Liverpool back on track. It’s still early days in the season, and with matches twice a week, this draw will hopefully become a distant memory.

“Of course, that’s the beauty of football and especially playing for a top club like this then you’re playing Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, and if you have a bad afternoon or a bad night then you’ve got time to put it right,” Robertson added.

“We’ve got a game on Tuesday in the cup and then another league game against Leicester, so it’s important we get back to winning ways and this whole week we’ll be focusing on that.”