Andy Robertson speaks after Liverpool lost 3-2 away to Brentford (Image: LFC TV)
Andy Robertson gave a brutally honest assessment of the Reds’ 3-2 defeat at Brentford, confessing that Liverpool did not stick to their strategy. After winning against Eintracht Frankfurt in midweek, Arne Slott’s side were brought back down to earth with four straight Premier League defeats.
Just five minutes into the match, Dango Utara turned the ball around and scored at the far post from a Bees long throw, before Kevin Shade capitalized on Mikel Damsgaard’s through ball to extend the lead to two points. Milos Kerkes pulled one back for Liverpool in first-half stoppage time, scoring his first goal for the club. However, the Hungarian’s shaky start to his Reds career continued and he was replaced by Robertson shortly after the end.
By this stage, Slott’s team had fallen further back due to Igor Thiago’s penalty. Despite Mohamed Salah closing the gap late on, Liverpool were unable to turn the tide and suffered their fifth defeat in their last six games in all competitions.
After the final whistle, Robertson admitted the Reds were “nowhere near good enough” against Brentford, extending their Premier League losing streak.
Despite being well aware of the threat posed by Keith Andrews’ side, the Scot was left scratching his head as he admitted the Reds ultimately failed to stick to their game plan.
“Off the ball we didn’t do a good enough job. On the ball, I think we created some moments in the first half, but we kept the ball really well,” he said.
“But you can’t come away to Brentford and expect to play against them off the park because they’re always ready to fight.
“They always put their bodies in the box when it comes to set-pieces, put the ball behind them and are ready to pick up the second ball. You know what they’re going to do here. They’re always the same and they’re very good at it.”
“I felt like we were a yard away from that point, they picked up a lot of second balls and then put the ball in behind us.
“Our backline is running back trying to head the ball and it’s very difficult to do that. We know how difficult they are and how good set-piece teams are.
“We worked on long throws and everything, and in five minutes we allowed three long throw-ins and we conceded a goal from one of them.
“It’s not enough. We play into their hands and it’s a struggle from there. We kept fighting, but it wasn’t enough.”
“You have to fight for the initiative. There’s no team in the Premier League that says, ‘Come on, get the ball, we’ll try to defend.’ Nobody does that.
“They always have a game plan, against us and against any team. All Premier League managers are very talented, especially the teams who have been preparing all week. I think they had a clear game plan and they played perfectly according to it.”
“We didn’t play our game at all and that’s what makes it so difficult. Even if we think we’re going to come out and all of a sudden they go down, we take control and just wait until we score. That never happens.”
Virgil van Dijk and his Liverpool team-mates watch the defeat against Brentford (Image: Getty Images)
“This is my ninth season and I think it’s probably only happened once or twice. If we were expecting that, we’d be in big trouble.
“You have to fight to get that control. You have to fight first of all. You have to fight for the second ball, you have to fight for the first ball, you have to fumble your way into the game. That will show the quality.”
“I felt like we just didn’t have the game today. We had our moments, but we didn’t have enough time and we put pressure on them.”
Goals from Kerkes and Salah towards the end of the first half gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope for a comeback.
However, Robertson admitted the Reds had guaranteed nothing on their journey to the capital.
“We won 2-1 and probably didn’t really deserve it,” he revealed to LFC TV. “And you said, ‘Okay, we have a chance here. We can get back in the game. This is a good opportunity to score a goal just before half-time.’
“Coming out towards the second half, I thought they started the second half really well, they pushed again, won set pieces and won corners.
“We didn’t push from there, but if you try, you can get a penalty for anything, whether it’s on the line or off the line.
“But when you’re losing 3-1, you just throw your body forward, and it becomes a chaotic situation. There’s no structure to it, and it’s never good.”
“We scored a goal, so-so. We pushed and almost scored at the end, but to be honest, if we had drawn today, it probably would have pleased us.”
He added: “We have to work harder. We have to recover better, both in training and in matches. When you’re at this football club, people want results.
“In difficult moments, the only way out of it is to work harder, run a little more, take care of yourself a little more. And that’s what we have to do.”
“The results of the last five or six games have not been good enough. Only we can get out of this situation. We know that.
“We start again on Wednesday, so there’s no time off. There’s no time to regroup. There’s games, games, games. Sometimes it’s a good thing to be able to respond so quickly and be able to play again.
“But we need to start playing better and start showing more consistency in our game.”
