Andy Robertson on last-16 target and facing a European giant

The Reds head into their fifth game of Group D knowing a draw or win against the Eredivisie side will guarantee progress to the knockout rounds for a fourth consecutive season.

They’ll have to overcome a team Robertson described as a ‘European giant’ to do so, but the reward for a positive result provides ample motivation to rise to the challenge.

Asked at the pre-match press conference about how similar Champions League fixtures have become to top-flight football, the left-back said: “Ajax are a quality opposition.

“We have a lot of foreign players in the Premier League now, you become more accustomed to playing against these types of players. The difference between them both isn’t as big as it maybe once was.

“But, of course, it’s a different style of play. They play in a different league and everything that goes along with it, you don’t know their players inside out as much as you do the Premier League teams.

“But we’re playing one of the European giants tomorrow night – their history is phenomenal and their team just now is an excellent team. We know we’re in for a tough task tomorrow night but we know what’s at stake.

“We know if we win we’ll be through to the last 16 and that’s always the aim. We want to go far in this competition and by doing so, we need to get through the group stage first and foremost.

“We’ve got a chance to do that tomorrow night. It’s important we try to keep that in our minds and do everything we can to win this game and hopefully finish top of the group.”

Liverpool must once again tackle a tight turnaround, with Ajax’s visit coming three days on from the 1-1 league draw at Brighton & Hove Albion and within a week of their previous Champions League outing.

Asked about the fixture schedule this season and whether the players require more help, Robertson replied: “The schedule is hectic, there’s no secret of that, because of COVID and we had to kind of make up time and stuff.

“But the schedule is always going to be hectic, we knew that, and the schedule can’t change because we need to get all these games in, in all the different competitions. We get our heads around that but I just think maybe we could get a little bit more help from it.

“My manager has been probably the most vocal on it, but I know a lot of managers are maybe crying out for five substitutions or different things that can maybe help. I know up in Scotland they’ve got five substitutions just now and I know, by speaking to their boys, it makes a massive difference, because their schedule is also hectic.

“I just believe we should be trying to help the players. I don’t know the exact percentage or the exact number but a lot more muscle injuries have happened this season. It seems every game I watch on telly or every game I’m involved in, somebody is going off injured with something.

“I think the Premier League is the best league in the world but you want your best players on there and you want all squads to have their best team available and being able to compete for different things. We’re maybe not seeing that as much just now because players are unfortunately picking up muscle injuries.

“I just think maybe we could get a little bit more help. We’ll crack on with it and let that kind of get decided elsewhere. As it stands we’ll prepare for a game every three days and we’ll try to be as fit and as healthy as possible.”

Further on the subject of fitness, the Scotland captain was asked whether he would ever consciously try to manage his levels within a game due to the amount of fixtures and the injuries currently affecting the Liverpool squad.

“No, I always go 100 per cent,” he said. “You know, when it gets to game day, I always go 100 per cent of course. But certain games you maybe need to adapt.

“For instance, Atalanta away, we adapted a wee bit – me and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] played a wee bit deeper and a wee bit more inside, instead of us being the width, that maybe saved our legs a wee bit or didn’t mean we were sprinting as much. We also got taken off in that game because of how well we had played and the game was finished.

“You maybe do need to adapt as the season goes on but not too much – the reason you are playing is because of the way you play, so you can’t change everything and you can’t change too much.

“The schedule isn’t going to change, we know what games we’ve got coming up, we know what games are around the corner. It’s just about trying to prepare as best as possible for them, trying to keep as fit and healthy, trying to listen to the sports scientists, listen to your body and trying to do everything right leading up to games.

“So far, touch wood, I’ve been OK and I’ve been fit. Hopefully that continues because obviously the schedule is not going to get any easier but hopefully I can stay as fit and healthy as I am just now.”