When Mohamed Salah struck, he drew level with Robbie Fowler. There are only five men ahead of him now, a quintet with more goals in Liverpool history. But a quarter of an hour earlier, a man who is already a record breaker had extended his own tally. Trent Alexander-Arnold is the unique talent, the playmaker full-back but the defender with the most assists in Premier League history is actually Andy Robertson. His free kick to Diogo Jota means that only four players have set up more goals in the division this season. None has spent his campaign in a back four.
Robertson’s 56th Premier League assist came from a free kick but there were other indications of his impact against Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Who put in the most crosses? Him, with 12. Who created the most chances? Him, with five. It all sounds both exceptional and normal for Liverpool’s flying Scotsman.
But there is a difference now. Think of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, of the players who are both flagship success stories and integral to idiosyncratic tactics and a false nine, narrow, goalscoring wingers and full-backs who power past the midfield spring to mind.
Yet Robertson’s role has changed as Klopp has copied Pep Guardiola. As Liverpool increasingly play 3-2-4-1 in possession, as Alexander-Arnold, who has long worn 66, becomes part of what Klopp terms “two sixes”, Robertson is suddenly Anfield’s answer to Nathan Ake; a left-back who becomes the third central defender. The downsides of a shift infield were shown when Gabriel Jesus rose above him to head Arsenal’s second goal a couple of weeks back: Robertson is scarcely known for his aerial ability and, in Liverpool’s usual formation, Virgil van Dijk might have been the man to deal with it. If there is a new breed of footballer, the hybrid full-back and centre-back, Robertson, who has spent much of the last few years haring into the final third, may not seem the ideal candidate.
The danger is that he is compromised as Alexander-Arnold is prioritised, that playing to the strengths of the Merseysider by allowing him to use his wonderful passing range from a central area takes away from those of the Scot, who likes surging up the touchline. There are times when Robertson is restrained.
“We cannot have one full-back in the centre of the field and the other one constantly high up on the left side, that is difficult,” reflected Klopp.
And yet in Liverpool’s last two games, he has had the best of both worlds. Robertson has seemed both centre-back and wing-back, staying behind the ball at times, breaking forward at others. The fourth of Liverpool’s six goals against Leeds was taken wonderfully by Salah but created by Robertson, with a trademark lung-busting run.
“Robbo has to judge the situations where he can be involved, where he can overlap like at Leeds when he overlaps and Diogo passes him the ball and he passes to Cody [Gakpo] for Mo’s goal,” Klopp said. “This is still there.”
Running power is part of his role, using a footballing brain is another. “In the first moment of the build-up, Robbo’s positioning has changed slightly but he is a very experienced player, a very smart player and he knows when we need him there,” added Klopp. “Today it was a bit of a mix. We need from time to time he had to be high but that just depends on the moment and the situation. The boys have to learn to read these situations right and do these things in the right moments.”
Van Dijk underlined that. Whereas Ake rarely joins the Manchester City attack in open play, Robertson still has a licence to raid and a responsibility to create. It brings an element of risk, especially if no one else fills in for him. “It's a work in progress but we all like it,” said Van Dijk. “We have to be able to change as well at times. Sometimes Trent has to drop. Sometimes he has to go higher and other players have to drop.”
Giving Robertson and Alexander-Arnold more time in the middle of the pitch means they can be more involved. The nominal right-back had the most touches against Leeds, the supposed left-back the most against Forest. When Steve Cooper tried man-marking Liverpool’s central quartet of Fabinho, Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson and Curtis Jones, it left the wide centre-backs as the free men.
Ibrahima Konate’s adjustment to new duties has been awkward at times: a stopper by trade is scarcely a natural when dragged wider as that second goal for Arsenal showed, and can be a limited passer. “Ibou had lots of moments on the ball and in the beginning he didn’t use it that well,” Klopp reflected on Saturday. “It is early days with that kind of system so we have to work on that.”
Like Robertson, the risk is he suffers from a shape designed to get the best from Alexander-Arnold. But if there is something incongruous in seeing Robertson in the line behind Alexander-Arnold, rather than bombing forward together and spreading cross-field passes, their annual competition for assists may still be a contest. If Robertson can appear two players in one, both attacking full-back and part-time centre-back, he is making a valiant attempt to remain the Premier League’s most creative ever defender.
