Robertson Opens Up On Liverpool’s Mentality Shift
Andy Robertson has admitted there was a genuine fear Liverpool’s remarkable progress under Jurgen Klopp could have unravelled had they failed to win the Champions League in 2019.
As Robertson prepares to leave Liverpool this summer, the Scotland captain has reflected on the moments that defined his career at Anfield. From arriving as an £8 million signing from Hull City to becoming one of the finest left-backs in world football, his rise mirrored Liverpool’s transformation under Klopp.
Yet Robertson has now revealed that the emotional scars from losing the 2018 Champions League final to Real Madrid, followed by missing out on the Premier League title with 97 points a year later, left Liverpool at a crossroads.
Speaking on The Overlap, Robertson admitted the pressure and disappointment could easily have damaged the squad mentally if European glory had not arrived in Madrid.
“God almighty. 97 points,” Robertson said. “I would have really worried for us that season if we didn’t win the Champions League.”
Those words offer a striking insight into the mentality inside Klopp’s dressing room during one of the most intense periods in modern English football history.
Klopp Built Resilience Through Pain
Liverpool’s near misses under Klopp became part of the club’s identity before the trophies eventually arrived. Robertson acknowledged the team were not truly ready when they faced Real Madrid in Kyiv in 2018.
“Like in terms of, you know, mentally because the season before we got beat in the Champions League final against Real Madrid, realistically, we weren’t ready for that final,” Robertson explained.
“We were coming up against, you know, the old-timers of the Champions League.”
That defeat could have lingered. Instead, Klopp turned heartbreak into fuel. Liverpool responded with one of the greatest league campaigns English football has ever seen, losing only once in the Premier League and still somehow finishing second behind Manchester City.
For Robertson, that achievement only intensified the emotional stakes around the Champions League final against Tottenham in 2019.
“And I think then the season we had 97 points, hardly dropping any points and just coming up against an absolutely unbelievable team,” Robertson said.
“But the fact that we had the Champions League final to then, you know, kind of bounce back on after the disappointment of the last game of the season, I think it was full focus on the Champions League.”
Original source reports from Rousing The Kop highlighted Robertson’s concern that Liverpool’s mentality may have suffered lasting damage had they ended that extraordinary season empty-handed.
Madrid Victory Changed Liverpool Forever
The Champions League final in Madrid became the release Liverpool desperately needed. Klopp’s side beat Tottenham 2-0 and finally secured the major trophy many believed their performances already deserved.
Robertson believes that night changed everything for Liverpool.
“We were that determined to go and win that Champions League because we knew that could be the start of our success,” he said.
He was right. Liverpool carried the momentum into the following season, winning the Premier League title and ending the club’s 30-year wait to become champions of England again.
Klopp’s Liverpool evolved from nearly men into serial winners. The emotional burden disappeared once silverware arrived and belief flooded through the squad.
Robertson’s comments also underline how fragile elite football can be. Fine margins often shape legacies. Had Liverpool lost in Madrid, the narrative surrounding Klopp’s side may have been very different.
Instead, the German manager created one of Liverpool’s greatest modern teams, with Robertson central to that success.
Robertson Leaves Liverpool As Modern Great
Robertson now departs Liverpool as one of the defining figures of the Klopp era. His relentless running, aggression and leadership helped set the tone for a side that conquered England and Europe.
When he arrived from Hull in 2017, few expected him to become such an influential player. Under Klopp, Robertson developed into a complete full-back, combining intensity with creativity and consistency.
His reflections on Liverpool’s mentality reveal just how much emotional resilience was required behind the scenes. Winning trophies demanded more than tactical brilliance or technical quality. Klopp built a squad capable of absorbing disappointment and responding stronger each time.
Robertson’s honesty also offers supporters a reminder of how close Liverpool came to missing out on the glory years entirely.
Without that Champions League triumph in Madrid, doubts may have crept in. Confidence may have fractured. Instead, Klopp’s Liverpool stood tall when it mattered most and changed the direction of the club’s history.
