Andy Robertson believes the key to a season-transforming victory over title favourites Manchester City is simple: consistency.
The Scots defender returned to his native Glasgow on Wednesday, and returned to action for Liverpool after injury, in a stunning, record-breaking 7-1 victory over Rangers. Yet even after the euphoria of inflicting the biggest ever Ibrox defeat on the Scottish side, and a hat trick from Mo Salah that is the fastest-ever in the Champions League, Robertson insisted it means nothing unless the Reds can repeat it.
That means performing to the same level against the side widely regarded as the best in the world right now - as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp himself acclaimed City before their head to head on Sunday.
Producing quality back to back performances has been a massive problem for the Anfield club in an infuriatingly inconsistent campaign so far. They have had some brilliant displays sporadically, thrashing Bournemouth 9-0 and also brilliantly beating a good Ajax side.
But each time they were unable to build on those big wins, and now Robertson is demanding to see something different, in a game that could change the course of Liverpool’s season.
“It’s a massive game, of course it is. We need to try to get consistency back into our game, back into our performance. That’s what has probably been lacking this season,” he said. “City on Sunday will always be difficult, but it has to start somewhere. Against Rangers the result was a very good one and the performance was excellent. We have to keep that going, we have to play with that intensity (all the time).
“If we do that then we will pick up a lot better results. Yeah, City are playing really well this season, but us at our best we can always compete and we have to do that. At our best we know we can cause problems to any team. That’s what we have to do.”
Robertson is relishing the prospect of facing City, not least because he has spent an intensely frustrating fives weeks watching from the sidelines with injury, unable to do anything about Liverpool’s poor run.
They have won just twice in the Premier League so far, and the Scotland captain admitted that he is the worst in the world when it comes to being on the treatment table, as his side suffer out on the pitch.
He picked up a knee injury in Liverpool’s worst performance of the season so far - at Napoli where they were thrashed by the Italians. And he said: “I’m not a very good patient, I always want to get out of the treatment room as quickly as possible. I had to be careful with this one, I’m just happy to be back at full fitness.
"Hopefully that is all behind me now. Obviously five weeks is not too long for the outside world but when somebody is not used to being injured it is a long, long time. It was important to take the time and let the injury heal then I was flying around the rehab pitch trying to get back as quickly as I can. That’s always the way (with me).”
While Robertson believes only another result against City will help Liverpool turn their season around, he did concede that the win at Ibrox was huge for their Champions League hopes. They only need a point to make the knockout phase, and he said: “It’s a massive result for us, puts us in a good place in the group and now we carry on.”
