Robbo eyes 'happier memories' as Reds' run-in begins at Palace

A 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace in May last year condemned his former club Hull City to the drop from the Premier League. 

On Saturday, though, Robertson returns to south London to represent Liverpool knowing that a win would, temporarily at least, move his current team up to second place in the top flight.

And, while the Scotland international’s own experience informs his knowledge of just how much the relegation-threatened Eagles will want to pick up points to aid their bid for survival, he’s determined to deny them this weekend.

“It gets to this point of the season where you’re literally fighting for everything you can because you’re down in the relegation spots,” Robertson told Liverpoolfc.com.

“You look at it and think you don’t want to be in the Championship and you don’t want a relegation on your CV.

“Last season we got relegated at Selhurst and that put the final nail in the coffin for us. It wasn’t a nice day, so for me it’d be nice to go back there and try to get three points for some happier memories.”

The clash with Roy Hodgson’s team marks the beginning of a fortnight Robertson defines as ‘massive’ for Liverpool.

The Reds host Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday - a match followed in quick succession by the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, the return leg against Pep Guardiola’s side and then a home fixture with AFC Bournemouth.

Five vital games in the space of just two weeks may classify as a hectic and high-pressure period, but Robertson is raring to go.

“It’s good that we’ve got the last international break out of the way for the season and now we’ve got a big run-in,” the left-back said.

“It’s not long until we’ll be finished up and we’re looking forward to all the games coming up, but the next couple of weeks are massive for us.

“It is a long season and I don’t always like putting it down to a week or two weeks because at the end of the day it has to be a whole season, but in the next two weeks we’ve got the potential to be in the semi-finals of the Champions League and we’ve also got a couple of big [league] games so we can try to cement our place in the top four and then kick on from there.

“So of course it is a big couple of weeks, but we just need to keep doing what we’re doing and try and build on the confidence that we’ve gained over the last couple of weeks.”

The work Liverpool’s squad have put in since the start of pre-season last July has enabled them to reach the latter stages of the campaign with so much still to play for, both domestically and in Europe, Robertson feels.

However, the 24-year-old warned that there is still plenty to do if Jürgen Klopp’s squad are to achieve their aims this term.

“You look at the start of the season and it’s full of excitement. You look at what you set out to do and the fact that we’re still in the Champions League and fighting for the top four, then it could be a good season,” Robertson continued.

“But we know we’ve got a long way to go and it could go one way or the other, so we need to keep working hard.

“All the work in pre-season all goes into remaining the whole season and trying to be as fit as you can and really kick on. Now that the internationals are out of the way, I hope all the boys and myself can do that.”

With Liverpool playing before any of their top-four rivals this weekend and Chelsea hosting Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, Robertson sees a chance for the Reds to strengthen their quest to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Nevertheless, he is well aware of the threat Palace can pose, particularly on their own patch.

“We obviously had it the week that we played Man United when the rest of the teams thought it was an opportunity, so I think the other teams and us will be looking at it the same,” Robertson stated.

“Chelsea and Tottenham have to play so one of them, if not the two, will drop points. If we can get our three points early doors on Saturday then it makes the rest of Saturday and Sunday a lot nicer and a lot easier, because you know you’ve put in a good performance and you’ve got the points in the bag. 

“But we know how hard Crystal Palace are, especially on their home turf with their fans - it’s quite a hostile atmosphere and they’ll make it as hard as they can. 

“They’re fighting for their lives down at the bottom and three points down there is so crucial to them. We need to make sure we’re at our best and hopefully take our chances like we have been doing.”

This season’s reverse fixture against Palace is a match Robertson will never forget.

On his debut for the club, the Scot put in a Man of the Match display as Liverpool claimed a 1-0 victory thanks to Sadio Mane’s late Kop-end winner. 

A further 20 Reds appearances have followed, and Robertson now feels significantly more in tune with the demands of playing for Klopp than he did on that sunny August afternoon.

“I think I’ve developed massively,” he said.

“Obviously then I was only in the door a couple of weeks and probably didn’t fully understand how the manager wanted me to play and so on. I felt as if I put in a good performance but I feel as if I’m a lot better equipped now to play in this team. 

“It has taken time but it’s been good and it’s been an exciting journey just learning every day, and I’m still learning every day, that’s the key thing.

“But that day was a massive moment for me because it meant I could get my first game, it was at Anfield and to get Man of the Match that day was a real proud moment. 

“I hoped more would continue after that and had to wait a wee while, but now I’ve had a good run of games and I just look to continue that.”