This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Liverpool have a difficult few weeks ahead of them, and they could soon be victims of their own success.
After winning the Champions League last year, they will take part in the Club World Cup in Qatar later on this month. That will be one of at least nine matches before 2020, and that could become 10 should they prevail in that semi-final in the Middle East. Not only that, they will be forced to play two matches in 24 hours. Jurgen Klopp and co will be stretched like they never have been before.
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It seems that some members of the squad are relishing the busy period, though. Andrew Robertson certainly is, as he explained ahead of the Reds’ Champions League fixture against Napoli in midweek. He said: “I think for us when we look at it, it is sort of a compliment because we look back on it and it shows you the reason we have all of these fixtures is because we’ve been successful.
“If you ask me if I would swap my Champions League winner’s medal for less fixtures, absolutely not. For me, the fixtures are credit to us because of our success. That’s something that we’ve got to look at and we’ve got to take the positives.”
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This, of course, is not a situation that the club’s players would have expected to find themselves in before the campaign started. Now, though, just like the Scotland international said, they should be looking forward to the matches that are approaching. This is what footballers should be dreaming of – the ability to play week-in, week-out in games that really matter. As the former Hull City left-back says, it is a compliment to their success in recent times.
Not only that, this is a chance for the Reds to go down in history. Given the way they have performed this season, there is no reason why they can’t prevail in both the Club World Cup and in the League Cup semi-finals. And winning a competition so early in the season could galvanise the players for the rest of the campaign, giving them that extra edge they need. The league title, which they haven’t won in 30 years, is the main objective it seems this term. An overall victory in Qatar could give them the extra belief they need to do that.
When you are winning as Liverpool are at the moment, you just want to keep playing. Any time off can take you out of your stride. Robertson, therefore, has hit the nail on the head.
In other news, one 24-year-old says he had Sadio Mane in his pocket the last time the two met.
