ReactionRobertson on 'special' Diaz, staying calm and targeting No.7
Andy Robertson described Liverpool teammate Luis Diaz as 'special' following his second-half showing against Villarreal on Tuesday.
The Reds secured a place in the Champions League final in Paris on May 28 thanks to a 3-2 victory at Estadio de la Ceramica, which saw Jürgen Klopp’s side progress 5-2 on aggregate.
Diaz provided inspiration from the bench with Liverpool trailing by two goals at the interval in Spain, going on to score and earn UEFA’s Player of the Match award.
“He has been special,” Robertson said of the winger.
“We have tried to help him as much as we can - all of the players. We know how difficult it is coming into the club in January. We’ve tried with the coaches and everyone else to get him up to speed.
“He is a special, special player. With the talent he has and the will to win, he just fits us perfectly.
“It was tough to take Jots off and I think he has been excellent this season, but Luis came on and made a big difference. He played on the left, he started pushing them back, started taking the ball, dribbling and everything, it was a really good half from him.
“He has been special since the day he came in, it’s a pleasure to play with him and hopefully he’ll only get better as well with a full pre-season and things like that.
“I believe he will get better, which is scary, but what he is producing here and now is pretty special as well.”
Robertson discussed several more topics during his post-match press conference in Spain - read on for the full transcript below…
On reaching another Champions League final…
Unbelievable. An incredibly tough tie, it’s never easy, but to be in a final is never, never easy no matter what competition you are in. To make it the third in the space of five years is incredible from this group of boys, for us as players and fans, and everyone alike, [we] should never ever take this for granted.
Villarreal 2-3 Liverpool: Highlights
On what was said to the players at half-time…
To be fair, it was calm. We had to be calm because, to be honest, I think they put everything into that first half. I thought they played really well and their crowd were up for it. Obviously, we talk about Anfield and our crowd making a difference, I think their fans made a huge difference for them in the first half. But it was about reminding ourselves at half-time that it was 2-2 and it was level and the next goal would be crucial. Obviously, we brought on Luis Diaz, who made a bit of a difference and changed it a wee bit. Second half, I thought it was a really good performance from us.
On whether he felt Villarreal could sustain that high tempo in the second half…
Like I said, I thought they put everything into the first half. They were everywhere. Look, we could have done a lot better, but you have to hold your hands up and say they played really well, especially for 35 or 40 minutes. I thought we got a grip on the game the last five minutes, and we started winning second balls and things like that, but they were really good. We would have been surprised had they managed to sustain it and we knew we could play a lot, lot better. We started being composed on the ball in the second half and you saw that when we started to pick them off.
On whether the players have spoken about the potential quadruple…
We just enjoy getting to the final. It’s so hard to get to Champions League finals, especially the amount of good teams in this competition. To get to the final is an incredible feeling. It’s going to be a special occasion and we are looking forward to it. We’ve got a lot of games between now and the end of the season, but our season has been extended for the right reasons and we are so happy about it. We can’t wait to try to go and compete and try to make it No.7.
Andy Robertson's post-Villarreal press conference
On who he would prefer to face in the final out of Real Madrid and Manchester City...
Time will tell. Obviously, we want an all-English final. The English finals are always tough and you play them enough in a season, but obviously Manchester City are an incredible team. They are in pole position, so we will watch and Real Madrid will obviously try to have a say in it. We will watch the game knowing we have done our job and we are through, and we will look forward to the final whoever we play, and both of them will fight it out on Wednesday night.