It wasn’t a great night for Liverpool star Andy Robertson on Friday.
Steve Clarke’s Scotland side scraped a 1-1 draw at home to Israel in a Nations League clash.
But with the exception of perhaps Lyndon Dykes, it was a flat performance by most of Scotland’s best players – including the Liverpool left-back.
In his defence, Robertson was playing slightly out of position, as Clarke deployed him in a wing-back role to accommodate Kieran Tierney – also a left-back – in a three-man defence.
Still, the former Celtic trainee, a Premier League champion last season, did little to stand out and the 26-year-old – who bagged 12 assists last term -struggled in an attacking sense, too.
And Michael Stewart has told The Scottish Sun that Robertson looks nowhere near as dangerous for his country as he does for Jurgen Klopp’s side on a regular basis.
He said: “I’d feel better about a 4-4-1-1, with Tierney at left-back and Robertson in front. Robertson, for whatever reason, looked nothing like the player he is in a Liverpool shirt.
“I don’t get why we don’t just play him in front of Tierney. You could even play McKenna and Tierney as centre-backs, with Robertson at left-back.”
In Clarke’s defence, he clearly has to play Robertson and Tierney in the same first XI, even though they operate in the same position.
Obviously there’s a disconnect somewhere, but the Scots boss has to make it work long term. If not, what a huge waste it would be to have two players of that quality and not find a system that works.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
