Andrew Robertson has been fantastic for Liverpool since joining from Hull City in 2017. (Getty Images)
Liverpool continued their unbeaten run in the Premier League with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Watford on Saturday. Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Trent Alexander Arnold got on the scoresheet as the Reds kept up the pressure on Manchester City at the top of the table.
With 33 points from 13 games, Liverpool currently sit 2nd in the Premier League standings just a couple of points behind table-toppers Manchester City. Jurgen Klopp has every reason to be pleased with his team’s efforts in the Premier League as they are well within striking distance of the title.
However, Liverpool have plenty to think about when they make the trip to France to face Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Liverpool made the perfect start to their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 win over the French champions in their opening game on Matchday 1 but things haven’t quite gone according to the script for the Reds thereafter.
As things stand, Liverpool find themselves 2nd in Group C with 6 points from 4 games, just below Napoli on goal difference. Paris Saint Germain are 3rd in the group with 5 points and quite clearly, all the three teams are still in the race to qualify for the knockout rounds. With three high-quality teams drawn together in a single group, Group C was expected to be the group of death and it has already produced some thrilling encounters.
Liverpool suffered a shock 2-0 defeat the hands of Champions League newcomers Red Star Belgrade away from home before the international break. It was Liverpool’s second defeat in the group stages after a 1-0 loss at the hands of Napoli. As evident from the results, the Reds haven’t done well in the away games and they are set to face a tough test against PSG on Wednesday.
Roberto Firmino’s injury-time winner gave the Reds three points against the French champions on Matchday 1. As much as Liverpool have relied on their front three to deliver the goods, credit have to be given to the centre-backs and the full-backs who have worked hard to keep things tight at the back. Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah all combined brilliantly against Watford in the Premier League on Saturday and Liverpool will once again bank on them to rise to the occasion.
However, Liverpool’s unsung hero Andrew Robertson deserves all the credit for his consistently impressive displays in the Premier League this season and will hold the key to Liverpool’s success against PSG. The Scotsman has been in prime form in the Champions League as well, registering a couple of assists so far and has done a great job in terms of defence.
In Kylian Mbappe, Neyman and Edinson Cavani, PSG perhaps have the most potent forward line across the top five leagues of Europe. However, one has to admit that the Liverpool defenders, particularly the full-backs, did a wonderful job to keep Neymar and Mbappe quiet for large quarters of the game on Matchday 1.
Robertson played a defensive masterclass in that 3-2 win at Anfield, not allowing Mbappe to break away with his lightning pace and contributed to the attack with some powerful driving runs down the left. The Scotsman will once again need to be at the top of his game on Wednesday to contain Mbappe but Liverpool will need more from him.
The 24-year-old has been a lively presence down the left for the Reds this season, supporting the attack with overlapping runs and has impressed with his crossing and link-up play. In fact, he has averaged 65.8 passes per game with an accuracy percentage of 84.3, including an average of 1.8 successful long balls per game in the Premier League this term. He has an equally impressive defensive record, averaging 2.2 tackles per game.
Hence, Andrew Robertson will be Liverpool’s best bet to counter the threat of Kylian Mbappe and propel them to victory in the Champions League on Wednesday.