Robbo: Now You're Gonna Believe Us... by Andy Robertson

Author:Andy Robertson [Robertson, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2020-09-16T16:00:00+00:00

Robbo_Chapter 8

DOUBTERS AND BELIEVERS

I ALWAYS want to play. I don’t think I will ever be the type who feels so confident in my status as a regular that I can take being rested with a pinch of salt because I expect to come straight back into the team. If I’m out of the side, I view it as an opportunity for my replacement, especially at a club like Liverpool where there is so much quality throughout the squad.

So the winter months can be a bit of a double-edged sword for me. I know the gaffer views the schedule as a particular challenge and quite rightly so because the games come unbelievably thick and fast but whereas he will be looking for opportunities to rest and rotate, I will be experiencing fear of missing out.

The logic of a footballer is very straightforward – if we perform well in one game, we expect to play in the next. Managers have to see the bigger picture, though. There are times when they have to be cruel to be kind and they also have to take care of an entire squad, not just certain individuals. The culture of the squad at Liverpool is such that we all respect his decisions and also each other’s right to play. Not that this makes it any easier when you get told that you’re being given the day off, especially when the game you’re missing is a Merseyside derby in the third round of the FA Cup.

I knew before we played Sheffield United that I probably wouldn’t be involved against Everton. The gaffer always wants to rotate for the FA Cup because it is an opportunity for him to rest those of us who need it while giving game time to the other lads as well. The fact that it was a derby meant we weren’t totally sure about what he was going to do, though. We had a rough idea that there would be changes but with Everton being our opponents I think most people had an expectation that the core of the team would remain the same with a bit of tinkering around the edges.

In the event, only Milly and Joe Gomez survived from the Sheffield United game. I know there was a fair bit of surprise when our team was named and Everton probably thought this was their best chance of winning at Anfield but we were still quietly confident.

In situations like this it’s harder for supporters because, understandably, they view it through the prism of regular starters making way for squad players but I train with and against these lads day in and day out so I fully expected them to make a game of it. The widespread perception was that the gaffer had taken a major risk and I’ve no doubt that there were quite a few who were already preparing to accuse him of disrespecting the FA Cup but, as the ensuing ninety minutes showed, they were the ones guilty of disrespect.

The

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