Interview'Have to get back on track' - Andy Robertson on Burnley, fitness and Gomez respect

A 3-1 defeat away at Arsenal last Sunday was just the Reds’ second of the Premier League campaign, though they remain at the summit ahead of hosting Burnley at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

Against the Gunners, left-back Robertson made a third consecutive substitute appearance as he continues his comeback from shoulder surgery that sidelined him for more than three months.

The No.26 spoke to Liverpoolfc.com ahead of the visit of the Clarets and detailed how the squad want to deliver an instant response to the loss in London and start another strong run.

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On reacting to the setback versus Arsenal, he said: “You have to process it and you have to see what we did wrong, and unfortunately there was quite a bit that we didn’t do the way people have probably been used to watching [from us] this season.

“We’ve been very consistent in the way we’ve played and the way we’ve gone about our business. I think [on] Sunday we weren’t that team that everyone has become used to kind of watching again.

“Yeah, it wasn’t a great performance; we didn’t start the game well and we go in at half-time and probably didn’t really deserve [to be level]. Then you start the second half really well and then obviously everything else unfolded.

“Mistakes happen; two of our probably best performers this season get into a mix-up, but my God, we’d be in such a different position if it wasn’t for those two guys this season.

“Mistakes happen and it’s just unfortunate it happened and it’s important to move on quick. We have to try to bounce back, we have to put it behind us. The lads have been unbelievably consistent this season and that’s why we’re in the position we’re in, in all the competitions.

“It’s important that we get back on track straight away. We have to try to do that. We’ve got a full week to train and then we have to go in to the Burnley game not letting our confidence drop or anything from that performance, and we’ve got to show everyone it was a one-off.

“We’ve got to get back to winning ways and if we do that then hopefully we go on another run and hopefully we kick on for the rest of the season.”

Read on for much more from our pre-match interview with Robertson as he also discusses his rehabilitation spell, appreciation for Joe Gomez and the challenge to be posed by Vincent Kompany’s Burnley…

On his general fitness and how it feels to be back…

It feels good. It was a long time out – the longest time I’ve ever been out – so it was certainly challenging in different ways. Obviously when you’re out that long you just try to think about it week to week and you don’t look too far ahead, but then when you get so close to the finish line you just can’t wait to get back on the pitch. The Norwich game was probably slightly earlier than we had planned, which is always pleasing and it was good to get minutes in that game. The reception I got was kind of what kept me going [in] the last couple of weeks of thinking I’m nearly back.

I knew the lads were buzzing to get me back and I hoped the fans would be the same – and the reception I got at Anfield was incredible. Then it was just about trying to get match sharpness up and things like that, we obviously went into a really busy period. The Chelsea game, I got some more minutes, and obviously the Arsenal game was difficult for different reasons. When you’ve been out that long it takes you a bit of time to get rhythm, but I feel as if I’m there now. Especially this week with a week’s training, I believe I’ll be ready to go from here on in.

On how he tried to continue to be a presence in the dressing room while he was out injured…

Yeah, I think the one thing I probably agreed with myself was that [in] the difficult times I’ll kind of suffer alone or suffer in the house, I didn’t want it to come across to the other lads or anything, I still tried to be the same person. I know that I’m a fairly big personality within that changing room and I didn’t want the lads feeling any different. So, I was still involved with them, still making fun of them at times, but also still supporting them as much as I could, still talking to them when they played well, especially the young lads. I just tried to not change as much.

But there were difficult times where I was maybe in the training ground on my own and frustrated and things like that – I just took that time for myself. But in front of the lads and in front of all the staff I tried to always keep on the same front and tried to not change as much. I think that was the best way forward for me, to try to stay involved with them. I just then got a bit impatient to try to get back on the pitch, which was always going to happen. I’m just glad to be back with the lads now and hopefully I can help them as much as I can for the rest of the season.

On how much he appreciated the reception he was given by fans when he returned at Anfield against Norwich City last month…

Yeah, of course, because football is the way it is; once you’re injured you’re kind of out of sight, out of mind, you don’t really get spoken about, which is all part and parcel of football. Football moves on so quick and they have to find different players and different things to support when you go injured. When you come back it’s kind of strange, you don’t know what it’s going to be like; obviously the atmosphere when I came on just reminded me how big a part I am of this club, and it was a nice feeling. I walked off that pitch feeling as if I was back and that was nice because, like I said, it was a long time [out injured], there were a lot of hard times during that, in terms of the surgery and things like that.

And that was what just kept me going: I wanted to get back playing football, it didn’t feel right me having time off and being injured and being in the gym instead of out on the grass. But I tried to make the most of my rehab, I tried to enjoy doing different things as well, but then that bug of trying to compete with the lads always comes back. I certainly got to that moment and luckily I got the green light from the surgeon and quite quickly after that I could be back involved. Then it’s just about trying to get rhythm and, like I said, I believe I’ve got that now and I’m ready to kick on.

On Gomez’s versatility and consistent form this season…

Everyone sees Joey’s quality and the flexibility of positions that he can play. He can play anywhere across the back line. I remember before I got injured, at centre-back against Villa he was different class, and I think it was maybe [against] Wolves he had to play right-back, where he was excellent again. Then he comes in at left-back and he does so well. He does well in every position he’s played this season, which is so important to have a player like that. Even when he steps into the midfield and things, he looks comfortable.

He’s such an important squad member and such an important player to have around this place, because he can cover every position and every position he has, he doesn’t drop in quality. His quality is there to be seen by everyone and I think he is getting the appreciation he deserves. Joey has been fantastic ever since I’ve come to the club. He’s had tough times in terms of injuries as well, but this season he has been phenomenal in every position he has played. He has stayed fit and he has got rhythm as well, which is so important. Long may that continue for him because he’s obviously one of the nicer guys, I think he’s the nicest probably within the whole squad. Everyone is just buzzing that he’s doing so well.

On Gomez getting close to his first career goal…

He’s getting pretty close, yeah. We’ve tried to say to him we don’t think his first goal is going to be a 40-yard screamer… I don’t think that, I think it’s going to be a scruffy one at the back post where it comes off his knee, shin and toe at the same time. So he maybe needs to stop that shooting a bit too much! I think everyone is trying to will it in for him. But it will come. Goals don’t define you but it would be nice certainly to celebrate a Joe Gomez goal, that’s for sure.

On Burnley and what he expects from Saturday’s clash at Anfield…

I know how difficult it is to take the step up from the Championship to the Premier League, I’ve done it before and we were a pretty dominant team in the Championship when I was at Hull and then you come up to the Premier League and all of a sudden you’re playing against a completely different class of opponent. But the thing I do know is when you are in a relegation battle as well, you fight for absolutely everything – and that’s exactly what they’ll do on Saturday and we have to be ready for that. They’re fighting for their lives down there and they want to stay in the Premier League. They’ll all get used to the perks of the Premier League, playing against big teams and things like that.

They’ve obviously got a young but very experienced player-now-manager, he has done an incredible job for the time he has been there and he knows what it takes to do it in the Premier League and he knows what it’s like to come to Anfield, and we have to be ready for that. Now once you get to February/March, from my experience, the relegation battle starts heating up and you start fixture-watching and point-watching and you just fight for everything. I think that’s the stage they’re at and all the teams are at down at the bottom end of the league – and that’s what makes these games so difficult. It’s no secret how determined they’ll be to come and get a result and a performance against us, and it’s up to us to be at 100 per cent and make sure that doesn’t happen, and make sure we bring our ‘A’ game. If we do that, hopefully that’s enough for the three points.