Autumnal Andy Robertson

Fall has arrived in Liverpool, and in more ways than one.

The weather has shifted on Merseyside over the past few weeks. The end of summer has signalled the return of the almighty hot chocolate. Stanley Park has changed colour, abandoning green in favour of gold.

As I write this post, it’s Halloween here in Liverpool. I did buy sweets, but nobody has knocked yet. The best city in the world suddenly seems to be packed full of aspiring influencers buying pumpkin spice lattes to share on Instagram, with Reds supporters likely to wear joggers rather than shorts to visit Anfield this weekend.

There isn’t a great deal wrong with autumn. It’s truly beautiful. But it’s also the third season of the year. The days get shorter, the temperature drops, and dreaded winter lies in wait.

Well, if Andy Robertson was a season, he’d be autumn right now.

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The Scot has emerged as a controversial topic of debate this week, and rightly so if you ask me. Robertson has started each of Liverpool’s last two matches against Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion, and he really wasn’t great in either of them.

Anybody can be made to look bad against Bukayo Saka, of course, but his performance was almost indicative of a player who is no longer absolutely certain of his ability to compete with the very best.

Robertson looked borderline nervous. He was panicked throughout the game, often overcompensated in defensive situations, and even proved to be a bit of a negative in possession, too.

That can happen against Saka, but he didn’t look much better against the Seagulls on Wednesday night, with Tariq Lamptey — another speed merchant — causing him plenty of issues on the dribble.

Indeed, early in the bout, Brighton created a chance by playing a simple ball over the top of Liverpool’s defence. The pass was aimed at Simon Adingra, who would’ve been offside if it wasn’t for Robertson sleepwalking towards his own goal.

The moment is pictured below. As you can see, Liverpool’s defensive line is relatively intact, except for Robertson, who is so deep that he’s actually dropped out of the frame.

I mean, come on. Even the die-hard supporters with Robertson’s face painted on their bedroom walls can’t really defend that one. The full image using a different angle is pictured below.