Andrew Robertson insists Liverpool must fix their away form if they want to compete for titles again

‘A point at Stamford Bridge isn’t the one that will define our season,’ said Andy Robertson.

‘We’ve struggled away from home and if we could put our finger on it, we’d have fixed it by now. From now till the end, we need to put that right and next season, we’re going to need to fix that if we want to be competing for anything, because you have to pick up points on the road and that’s where we’ve let ourselves down massively this year,’ Robertson admitted, late into the London night.

His honesty highlighted just how poor Liverpool have been on their travels this season. Because in essence, that is where this season has perhaps already been defined for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Liverpool’s home record in the league is third, behind only Arsenal and Man City, with 30 of their 43 points coming at Anfield. Man City, Newcastle and Man Utd have all lost on their visits to Merseyside.

Yet on the road, Klopp’s side are ranked 12th – level on points with relegation-battling Leicester and Southampton.

Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson has urged his side to fix their disappointing away form 

Jurgen Klopp’s side dropped points on the road again during Tuesday’s 0-0 draw at Chelsea

No side in the league has a bigger points-per-game differential between their home and away tallies.

‘It’s a point gained,’ said Klopp in the aftermath of their goalless draw against Chelsea. ‘And a step in the right direction,’ added the Liverpool manager.

Frankly that is where Liverpool currently are, content with small steps.

Their only away league win in 2023 came against Newcastle in February.

And this was just their 13th point in 15 Premier League away games (W3 D4 L8) this season – their fewest from their first 15 matches on the road in a league campaign since 1992-93.

So it made sense as to why, collectively, there was an element of satisfaction with the result from the Liverpool camp.

Klopp was facing his eighth Chelsea manager since joining Liverpool seven-and-a-half years ago but Tuesday night’s action – or lack of it – gave off the vibe of two teams equally desperate for this season to come to a conclusion.

Liverpool took title-winners Manchester City to the final day in the Premier League and lifted the FA Cup last season (Roberto Firmino, left, and Fabinho, right, pictured with the trophy)

Their thrilling 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge last January came when Liverpool were 2nd and Chelsea were 3rd. This time around, it was 8th against 11th. And it was obvious to see.

‘It was a game with two teams lacking in confidence and you could see that. That’s why it probably finished 0-0,’ insisted Robertson, who was one of six Liverpool players replaced in the starting eleven from Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Man City.

‘We had to show a reaction and try to put Saturday (against Man City) to one side. We had to come here and be a lot more secure defensively and I think we did that,’ said Robertson.

It’s difficult to remember a point at any time during Klopp’s tenure as Liverpool manager where his side have so visibly lacked a sense of dynamism and excitement. 

Tuesday night was a case of simply trying to return to basics. And that Liverpool did, without ever really threatening to score. They had Alisson to thank too, after his 11th Premier League clean sheet of the campaign.

Robertson says that Liverpool won’t be competing for titles until they sort out their away form

Yet such has been the topsy-turvy nature of Liverpool’s season that no one will write them off ahead of Arsenal’s visit to Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

The league leaders may be on a seven-game winning streak but the last time they won in the Premier League away to Liverpool was over a decade ago.

‘We’re playing against a confident, high-flying team that’s top of the league and got dreams of their own but we know that at our best, we’re a match for anyone so let’s see how it goes,’ insisted Robertson.

The problem for Klopp’s side is that ‘best’ has come on only a handful of occasions this year.

But Robertson and Liverpool could do with returning to their ‘best’ for the last ten games this season, as they have done in recent campaigns.

The Scottish star (centre, right) came on as a substitute alongside team-mate Mohamed Salah

In their final ten games last term, Liverpool won 26 out of 30 points.

And in 2021, Liverpool were eighth and seven points off the top four with ten games to go, like they are now.

Back then, they won eight and drew two of their last ten to seal Champions League qualification on the final day, before reaching the final last year.

They’re in a similar predicament now. It’s hard to foresee it at this moment but if Klopp’s side can somehow rediscover the form they finished the two previous seasons with – beginning with Sunday’s clash against Arsenal – then and only then will they stand a chance of playing Champions League football next season.