Premier League: Andrew Robertson says Liverpool not thinking they are defending title as champions

Defending champions Liverpool take on arch-rivals Manchester United on Sunday in a match which could very well decide the fate of the Premier League this season. United are currently sitting top with 36 points from 17 matches. Liverpool, on the other hand, have 33 points from the same number of games. The title race this season has been the most open it has been over the years. Injury-plagued Liverpool have struggled to assert the same authority they showed last season with defender Virgil van Dijk already out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury that he suffered in October. In football, it’s generally believed that defending a title is tougher than winning one. So are Liverpool feeling the heat aiming to win back-to-back titles? Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson has shot the suggestion down, saying that they are not approaching the title race as defending champions. “To be honest we’re not even thinking we’re defending the title as champions, it’s more how we’re going to win this season,” Robertson told Star Sports. “…You know when we got to this point last season it was a three-horse race with us Man City and Leicester and that’s how it usually goes so we know with fans being in, with COVID-19, with everything going around this season is going to be unique in itself and whoever comes out on top deserves to win it as much as everyone else, but you know I think we’ve seen with Man City are there again, Leicester are there again, Man Utd have come up, Chelsea, Everton, Southampton, Tottenham, all these teams are flying this season, let’s see how it works out, but let’s hope we can stay top of the tree and that we can push on now.” Robertson has registered 28 assists since the start of 2018-19 season, the highest in the league in the period. Talking about his creative contribution to the side, Robertson said, “Yeah look you know me and Trent have a license to go in forward, we do try and create in positions when we get there and both our final balls have probably got better since we came in, since Trent broke in, since I signed you know, from that moment to know we’re both a lot better at picking out our strikers and things like that.” “…the corridor of uncertainty, most full-backs try to look for that, when the defence is dropping deep you want to look between them and the goalkeeper so when they don’t know when to clear it or the goalkeeper doesn’t know whether to come for it and maybe you cause a wee bit of panic in the box, so I think every person that puts the ball in the box will look for that and try and find it and hope we can find that a lot more in this year coming.” Robertson has also played more minutes than any other Liverpool player this season. Talking about his fitness, Robertson said he is happy to play as many matches as possible for the club. “I’ve just tried to look after myself the way I have always done, I have been really lucky in injuries. I have always been fit. I’ve always enjoyed the role, I’ve played every minute so far, I don’t feel tired, I feel fresh and good to go every third day when called upon so as long as the manager keeps picking me then I’ll keep being available for the full 90 minutes,” he asaid. Watch Liverpool vs Manchester United on Sunday, 17 January 2021, on Star Sports 3 along with a regular feed on Star Sports Select and Disney+ Hotstar at 10 PM.