Micah Richards pondered whether Andy Robertson had ‘lost a yard of pace’ following Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal.
The left-back found himself up against it in the first half of action at the Emirates Stadium.
Bukayo Saka took full advantage of the situation, leaving some criticising the Scot’s efforts in the English capital.
“Saka has given Robertson a torrid time,” Ian Wright told Premier League Productions.
“In his early days, Robertson was very good with him but he’s good stronger, quicker and more experienced.”
Ultimately, it can’t be ignored that Arne Slot opted to hook the No.26 in the 63rd minute, replacing him with Kostas Tsimikas.
Has Andy Robertson gotten slower?
It’s a fact of life for every top footballer on the planet — with age comes expected deficits. We’ve seen Mo Salah, for instance, adapt wonderfully despite a relative decline in pace in recent times.
Following a torrid afternoon showing against the Gunners, Micah Richards questioned whether the Scotland skipper’s pace had likewise suffered.
“I don’t want to be disrespectful but I think he’s lost a yard of pace. Is that what Arsenal were targeting? Saka getting on the ball, getting involved. There were concerns whether he’d be available but he played a blinder,” the former Manchester City star spoke on BBC MOTD 2.
“The goal was very interesting. Havertz went once, took van Dijk with him, goes to the right-hand side, van Dijk marshalling and it was interesting because Ben White was centre-back and Thomas Partey was right-back and didn’t have the overlaps we usually see, can we overload this right-hand side. Saka wants the ball in behind then van Dijk maybe thinks about Havertz’s position, leaves Robertson one-vs-one and it’s a fantastic finish from Saka.
“The touch map in the first half, Havertz played predominantly down the right-hand side, which caused Liverpool many problems. The attacking third in the first half, there was 50 per cent down that right-hand side and it worked.”
A glance at the speed statistics on offer from Sky Sports would indicate that this assessment is a little harsh.
Andy Robertson ranked as the 98th quickest footballer in the Premier League (clocking 33.31 km/h) as of October 6. As a unit of comparison, that’s quicker than Luis Diaz (33.29 km/h).
However, it does fall a little short of Nuno Tavares’s 35.94 km/h (Squawka) as the fastest left-back in the 2023/24 campaign.
Could Liverpool replace Andy Robertson?
It seems inevitable that we’ll dip into a future window to bolster the left of defence anyway.
There remains a lack of suitable cover for left-sided centre-back Virgil van Dijk and Kostas Tsimikas can’t be considered the future after Robertson’s eventual exit.
It explains why we’ve seen links to intriguing left-back options like Alvaro Carreras and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
