Empire of the Kop
·13. November 2024
Empire of the Kop
·13. November 2024
Andy Robertson has said that he was recently left ‘really annoyed’ by one of his Liverpool teammates during a training session.
The Scotland captain is now into his eighth season at Anfield, with only three current Reds having been in Jurgen Klopp’s squad when he signed from Hull City in 2017, and he’s currently the fifth-eldest player at the club.
It’s therefore no surprise that he’s among a five-man ‘leadership group’ of players in Arne Slot’s squad, with that quintet ensuring that their teammates adhere to certain standards both on and off the pitch.
Speaking on Reds Roundtable for Liverpool’s official YouTube channel, Robertson claimed: “Sometimes we have to shout at the young lads, sometimes they need an arm around them. Every game, yeah, but it’s not always just in games either. It’s in training as well.”
When a grinning Mo Salah interjected by saying that the 30-year-old had been ‘fuming’ in training, the Scot replied: “Yeah, really annoyed”. When prompted by Kelly Cates, he revealed that Ryan Gravenberch was the object of his fury.
After the Egyptian continued to wind up Robbo by saying: “He was going for Ryan! Because he got man of the match again?”, the Reds’ number 26 answered: “Yeah, man of the match went straight to his head!”
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Robertson didn’t elaborate on what exactly Gravenberch did to draw his fury, but it can’t be denied that the Dutch midfielder has consistently excelled on matchday for Liverpool this season.
Only he and captain Virgil van Dijk have played every minute of our Premier League campaign so far, with the 22-year-old recording more interceptions than anyone else in the squad and boasting the fifth-best average for tackles per game (WhoScored).
The Scotland defender’s admission also highlights the important role that he and the rest of the on-field leadership group (Van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Salah and Alisson Becker) play in ensuring as much as possible that standards don’t drop in training or during games.
There seems little doubt that such self-policing from the experienced quintet has contributed greatly towards Liverpool sitting top of the Premier League and Champions League standings, with 15 wins from 17 matches in all competitions.
The rest of the squad have been warned – if you’re not doing the business in training, Robertson will nail you!