Jamie Redknapp believes that Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson struggles with Scotland because he is surrounded by lesser players compared to club level.
The Scotland captain has been nothing short of sensational for the Reds, helping them win the Champions League in May.
International hero. (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images)
Some Scotland fans though have been critical of his international displays, especially after the Belgium and Russia games.
Redknapp has said it’s because the players he plays with at Hampden aren’t as good as his Merseyside teammates.
He told the BBC: “Football is always easier when you are playing with better players.
An obvious statement from Redknapp about Liverpool hero Robertson. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
“The quality just isn’t there in Scotland right now. That is no disrespect to the players he is playing with for Scotland, but they are not as good as the ones he plays with at Liverpool. He has an incredible understanding with Sadio Mane, Mo Salah, that has been happening for years.
“The way Liverpool play, they get it in to the wide areas and play so high up the pitch. A lot of the time when he is playing for Scotland, they are going to be defending more, so he hasn’t got the time to get up the pitch and make his crosses.”
Obviously Robertson isn’t surrounded by better players
It’s a pretty obvious thing to say. Of course this Scotland side isn’t as good as the team who were just crowned champions of Europe.
The Reds are world class. (Photo by Visionhaus)
The likes of James Forrest and Oli McBurnie can’t perform as well as your Salah’s and Roberto Firmino’s.
Whilst some of the criticism of Robertson on the international scene has been harsh, he has to learn to adapt. Simply for the fact he’s a Liverpool mainstay, expectation increases tenfold.
Redknapp does make one good point though. Robertson is expected to defend more with Scotland and can’t express his brilliant attacking ability that’s a key strength of his.
Can’t express his full capabilities (ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP/Getty Images)
The expectation on Robertson at international level is sky high and it’ll be intriguing to see how he bounces back from a poor set of Scotland games next month.