Robertson plays full game as Scotland fall again in Liverpool
It wasn’t quite the confidence boost we would have hoped for, as Andy Robertson played the full match in Scotland’s defeat to Ivory Coast, with the game taking place in Liverpool just days before our FA Cup clash with Manchester City.
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The left-back, captaining his country once again, was heavily involved throughout, even if the result didn’t go his way.
Robertson involved but Scotland fall short
According to BBC Sport, Scotland “succumbed to a second successive friendly defeat” as Nicolas Pepe’s goal proved decisive in a 1-0 loss at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Liverpool defender returned to his familiar left wing-back role, with the report noting that Steve Clarke “handed… captain Andy Robertson back at left-wing back” as part of a system change aimed at improving performance levels.
Despite a bright start, Scotland struggled to maintain control, with the analysis pointing out that the distances between midfield and defence were “as wide as the River Mersey,” something that made life difficult for the Scottish skipper and his teammates.
That said, the 31-year-old still produced a solid individual display, completing 90% of his passes, delivering 11 crosses and winning all four of his ground duels, showing his usual reliability even when the team around him wasn’t at its best (via Sofascore).
What Robertson said after defeat
Speaking after the match, our full-back acknowledged both positives and frustrations in the performance.
He said: “We caused them problems – last 20 minutes we were the team pushing forwards. It’s one of those games.”
The Scotland captain also highlighted the key issue that ultimately decided the match, adding: “We want to win these games, but we’re also trying stuff. We get caught on the counter for the goal, which can’t really happen.”
That honesty mirrors what we saw on the pitch, with Scotland improving in the second half but lacking the cutting edge needed to turn possession into goals.
It follows another frustrating outing against Japan earlier in the week, where Robertson showed flashes without real end product, underlining a wider issue with creativity and attacking cohesion in Clarke’s side.
Our No.26 has also spoken about his Anfield future this week, as he returns for what could be his final months as a Red.
With a huge run of fixtures ahead for us, including that upcoming FA Cup tie against Manchester City, the main positive is that the Scotland captain came through another full match unscathed and continues to show the consistency we rely on so heavily at Anfield.
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