ReactionAndy Robertson: We have to be more clinical
Andy Robertson rued missed chances after Liverpool lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest.
The Reds created several clear-cut opportunities throughout Saturday lunchtime’s clash at the City Ground but were unable to find the net.
Taiwo Awoniyi’s second-half goal snatched all three points for the hosts and ended Jürgen Klopp’s side’s winning run at three games.
Read Liverpoolfc.com’s post-match interview with Robertson below.
On Forest making it tough and the result being hard to take…
Yeah, a really tough one and in our position we can’t really afford it. Obviously we wanted to end a really good week, try to end it with nine points which would have sat us nicely and it’s not happened. I think from early doors it was quite clear that one goal was always going to sort this game out, both teams cancelling each other out first half, not many chances and then they get a goal. A poor free-kick from us, poorly defended and then you find yourself 1-0 down.
Look, credit goes to Forest, I thought they were really good, in our faces in front of their crowd and everything, but I don’t know how we’ve not scored today, I really don’t. We’ve had so many chances, set-pieces we knew could have been a huge weapon today. Some of the balls in were good, finding free headers or landing on people’s feet and we’ve just not had that composure to put it away. Look, we could be sitting here with a very different story but we’re not. We had enough chances to win the game today, never mind take a draw, but that’s the frustration. We’ve had games like this in the past but in the position we are in just now, we can’t really afford that and that’s why we’re all gutted in that changing room just now.
On the reasons for Liverpool creating a lot of chances but not being able to convert any…
Obviously we weren’t free-flowing, we weren’t playing our best football, that was clear, but what we did do was we kept digging in, we kept trying to create chances, we created chances right up to the 92nd, 93rd minute. That’s what we could control, that’s what we could do. We kept running, we kept making the runs, we kept trying to create chances, but the ball just wasn’t going in for us today. We had massive chances and the ’keeper didn’t even really make any amazing saves, it wasn’t as if he had one of those days, we just didn’t work him hard enough and the shots we did get away were maybe a wee bit weak, the headers weren’t quite in the areas we needed them to be in. It’s so disappointing when you look back on this game, we’ve had enough chances like I said, but that’s the thing we have to swallow. We need to accept that unfortunately and like I said, credit goes to Forest, they’ve got the three points and we’re left frustrated.
On making sure this result is just a blip after three wins in a row…
What we said even after the Rangers game, after the Manchester City game, when things were going well [and] people were saying we were back, we didn’t quite say that because we knew we had to get consistency. That’s what’s brought us success in the past – just grinding out results, getting 1-0s. We did that on Wednesday, not at our best against West Ham and you just grind out a 1-0. Obviously Ali saves a penalty and everything and you just get away with the three points and you just try to build on it. Then today, when you go 1-0 down you think, ‘Just dig in, get something from the game.’ Even when you go into 90 minutes, try to get a draw, one more chance, one more chance at goal and just try to take it.
Unfortunately we did create the chances but we just couldn’t find the net. When you have a game like that it’s so frustrating and when you’re in a better position in the league it’s sometimes a wee bit easier to accept when you walk off and think, ‘You know what, it’s just not our day.’ But when you’re in the position we are in, when you have dropped the points we have dropped already it’s that bit more difficult. But games are coming thick and fast, we have to pick ourselves up, we’ve got a massive game in the Champions League where we can secure our last-16 spot. We have to be ready on Wednesday now and we have to be ready to go again. The problem today wasn’t creating chances, we have to take things from that, but we have to be so much more clinical.
On a chance to put things right quickly…
Yeah, Wednesday to Saturday early kick-off was a really tough turnaround for the lads but we managed to get boys out there, we obviously lost Darwin and we lost Thiago. They’re the fixtures we have been given but we’ve now maybe got a wee bit longer, Saturday to Wednesday, and hopefully we can get a couple back on the pitch and hopefully we can be fresh to go again – which we will be. We’ll be ready and we just have to keep going. It’s so hard to say that to the fans, but the fans today travelled in their numbers and I think they could see we gave our all. We tried everything but today it just wasn’t going in. But when you’re in a good moment it’s probably a wee bit easier for the fans to accept that – when you’re in a tougher moment, I get the frustration. But we’re just as frustrated, if not more so, and we just can’t believe the ball didn’t go in the back of the net today. But we can’t fix that now and like I said, moving forward we have to be a lot more clinical.
