Gary Neville has never been shy about throwing the odd hand grenade towards Liverpool. But even praise from the former Manchester United defender has caused a mini-ruction within the Reds squad.
Well, sort of. The Sky Sports pundit, when last week assessing his Premier League team of the year, included Andy Robertson with the claim the Scotland international is “the best full-back in the league by a mile”. Given the left-back’s ongoing wager with Reds team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold over the most assists, goals and just about everything else, it was all the ammunition he needed.
“I enjoyed it, that’s for sure!” says Robertson. “Trent’s not too happy! He gets enough praise probably. I’ve used it with Trent for the last week, by saying ‘by a mile’ and things like that. I just keep saying it to him. I walk past and that’s all I need to say. He knows exactly what I’m talking about because I know he watched it.
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“That’s the relationship me and him have. It is somebody who played for Manchester United but, for me, he (Neville) was one of the best full-backs in the Premier League and to have someone like that saying that kind of took me back a bit. Obviously that kind of praise is always nice.
“Trent obviously argues the ‘by a mile’ bit and the whole thing. You could fill this room with people who would say he is the best full-back by a mile. He is not short on that.
“Trent’s stats are always better than mine so I try and keep him away from stats. Unfortunately he always knows the stats inside out. We wind each other up on a lot of things and he usually has the upper hand. I’ll take this one!”
The battle, as ever, is closely fought. Robertson moved to within one of Alexander-Arnold’s goal involvement tally for the season of 19 by scoring for the third time this season to seal a 3-1 home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League finale last weekend.
Saturday’s Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris would be the ideal place to draw level, not least given the history of the fixture – left-back Alan Kennedy scored the only goal when Liverpool beat the Spanish giants in the showpiece at the French capital’s Parc des Princes back in 1981.
“As soon as we got to the final, there were a lot of people who sent me this or said they were going to bet 1-0 Liverpool and me scoring,” says Robertson, who admits he is yet to meet Kennedy. “He scored a wonderful goal that managed to win Liverpool the Champions League, and if I do that, I do that.
“But I am more focused on trying to put in a good performance, trying to be solid defensively, and if we get a good basis then I will let someone else try and be the hero. I want Hendo to be lifting it and whoever scores I don’t really care.”
Indeed, the trend of Liverpool left-backs leaving their mark on the biggest stage continued earlier this month when Kostas Tsimikas netted the decisive penalty in the FA Cup final shoot-out win over Chelsea having replaced Robertson during extra time.
“Well, yes, I should have had my moment in the FA Cup final!” laughs the Scot. “I obviously missed that.”
Robertson was influential way back at the start of this season’s Champions League journey. In the opening group game against AC Milan at Anfield, the Scot’s all-action display during the first half was the catalyst to ensure the Reds hit the ground running in the competition. They haven’t looked back since.
“The manager always says before the game for somebody to set the tone,” says Robertson. “Millie says it most games, we need someone to set the tone. When I hear that, I do believe in games that I can be the one to do that.
“The AC Milan one is probably a perfect example. The first Champions League game back in front of (fans) at Anfield and things like that. I thought somebody needs to set the tone and why not me?
“I remember that game and I won a couple of balls high up, created a couple of chances in the first five minutes and I think that set the tone for the game. We have players that can do it. Sadio against Man City in the FA Cup semi set the tone with his pressing and things like that. Hendo is really good at it, but I believe I can do it as well.”
Robertson adds: “Being part of the leadership group this season means a lot to me but I think I’ve been one of the leaders in this team for a couple of years now. I think I’ve grown into that role. I’ve got more responsibility on my shoulders which I enjoy.
“People look to me for advice and I’m not the young Robertson anymore, I’m a wee bit more experienced and I try to help the young lads. When it comes to it, the captains group have to step up on occasions and everyone does that. The way I can do that is in certain games set the tone.”
Of course, there was every chance during the spring of last year that Liverpool wouldn’t even qualify for this season’s Champions League, let alone make it to a third final in five years. And the travails during pandemic football meant even Robertson feared Jurgen Klopp’s side would miss out.
“When we lost the fifth or sixth home game in a row, or maybe when Man City beat us at home, you sit back and think ‘this might be possible’,” he recalls. “I think we went back as far as eighth at one point. People started worrying we were going to be in the Conference League. I remember people saying to us that the new tournament starts next year. Do we want to be in that? Would we be better finishing ninth and all this...”
Robertson’s season won’t end in Paris, with Scotland involved in a World Cup play-off semi-final against Ukraine on Wednesday for the right to face Wales in the decisive qualifier a few days later.
But no matter what happens at the weekend, the left-back knows Liverpool are far better prepared than for their 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in Kyiv in the Champions League final four years ago.
“We learned a lot,” says Robertson. “When I look back on 2018, I always think we were working off adrenalin and they were working off experience. I think the experience always comes out on top in the end. We did a lot of things that now we do differently in terms of travelling around the games and try and treat it as much as a normal game as we can.
“Maybe in Kyiv some of the lads were waking up earlier than usual or going to bed later than usual because they were thinking about the game. I know in Madrid the following year (when Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the final) we all get a better night’s sleep and we all managed to stay calm until it was time to not to be calm.
“In this final both teams will be experienced in dealing with the occasion and it will be who deals with it best. We are in the best possible place sitting here now that we are ready to deal with the occasion – and so are they.”
And if Robertson pops up with the decisive moment in Paris, expect a certain Gary Neville to be nodding in approval – albeit through gritted teeth.
