'Not the time for that' - Andy Robertson makes…

'Not the time for that' - Andy Robertson makes Liverpool change after tough start to season

Andy Robertson is adamant Liverpool have sufficient time to salvage their Premier League season after Christmas - as he explained why his regular competition with Trent Alexander-Arnold has been put on hold.

A difficult start of the campaign has seen Jurgen Klopp's side already lose four times in 14 top-flight games - double the number of such defeats over the entirety of last season - to stand seven points adrift of the Champions League places and a mammoth 15 behind runaway leaders Arsenal.

While the Reds have a game in hand on fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, their tally of 22 points is their lowest at this stage of a campaign since 2014/15 when they ended up finishing sixth.

But with 24 games still to be played and the Premier League season now taking a six-week break due to the World Cup, Robertson is convinced Liverpool can still turn around their top-flight campaign.

"After Christmas we have to do the only thing we know and fight for everything as if our lives depend on it and see if we can start climbing that Premier League table," said the left-back. "We've always fought for everything that we have got and that will be no different this season. Yes, it's not been a great start but it can always turn around. There are enough games on our side to do that.

"We have to go step-by-step and game by game just now and we can't look too much at the league table. We know we're not where we want to be and that we've been disappointing this season but hopefully we can get a run of results together and start climbing the league and chasing the teams ahead of us.

"We're in the position we're in because we've not shown consistency. Consistency is key and that's what the teams at the top have shown. Arsenal and Man City have shown consistency and that's why they're in the positions they're in."

Robertson added: "There have been some below-par performances from us, no doubt, but the only way to find consistency is to keep fighting. You don't turn into a bad player overnight. We need to get good results then back it up, and then back it up again and back it up again.

"That's when we were at our best, when we were winning 10 to 12 games, picking up points in all of them and we kept going and going. Then we'd get a setback, we bounced back and went on another run and that's what we need to do again."

Liverpool signed off in their final match before next week's World Cup with a 3-1 home victory over Southampton on Saturday afternoon. The in-form Robertson provided assists for Roberto Firmino and Darwin Nunez to move on to seven for the season in all competitions, compared to four for fellow Reds full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The duo usually partake in a good-natured competition over who provides the most assists during a campaign - Alexander-Arnold has edged each of the last four seasons - but Robertson has explained the battle has been put on hold for the time being.

"We discussed it but this season obviously hasn't gone to plan in terms of the results we've had, so I think for us and for the whole team it's just about trying to the back to basics now," the Scotland international told the official Liverpool matchday programme.

"Of course we still have friendly competitions in training every day but I think more importantly, both of us just want to try and help the team keep clean sheets because we know that if we do that then we've done our job and the lads can react off that. It's nice to have that healthy competition but in some moments it's not the time for that and it's all about results just now."

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