Football
Glenn Price, Liverpool correspondent 5y

Liverpool's Andrew Robertson needs to add goals to his game - John Arne Riise

LIVERPOOL, England -- Former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise has told ESPN FC that Andrew Robertson has been "brilliant" since becoming an established starter, but now wants more goals from the Scotland captain.

Robertson, an £8 million signing from Hull City in July 2017, cemented himself as Liverpool's first-choice left-back midway through last season.

The 24-year-old has been repeatedly praised for his consistent performances, although Riise feels he should be looking to do more to add to his solitary goal in a Liverpool shirt.

"He's brilliant because he's aggressive, quick and can cross the ball very well," Riise, speaking to promote his new autobiography "Running Man," said. "He's great defensively as well.

"[But] I want him to be more of a goalscoring threat as well. I watched a few games where he's inside the 18-yard box and he's crossing and always crossing. At the end, the opposition will know he's going to cross it.

"If he starts shooting sometimes then it's harder for the opposition to know what he's doing. I want him to start shooting and take more risks when he goes forward."

Robertson was ranked as the eighth-best left-back in the recent ESPN FC 100, having played for Scottish third-division side Queen's Park just over five years ago.

"When he came last year, I was surprised at the time," Riise said. "[Alberto] Moreno did well last year as well, but then Robertson took over and never looked back. Since then he's been brilliant.

"I didn't know he was that good. He's not that big, he's quite small and [quite] skinny. But he's tough, challenging.

"I think he's a manager's dream because you know what you get from him. I'm surprised, but very excited for him."

Riise made 348 appearances for Liverpool during his seven-season stay at Anfield, playing under managers Gerard Houllier and Rafael Benitez.

The retired Norwegian said he is slightly envious of watching Robertson play in this current Liverpool team, believing he would be perfect for Jurgen Klopp's current setup.

"I would have loved to play for Jurgen," Riise said. "His style of football would have suited me perfectly.

"That's why it's nice that when I went away [with Liverpool] for the preseason tour, I could see how Liverpool trained, how they played. Just listening to him speaking is something you learn from. He's someone I look up to.

"People probably look more about how passionate he is and how he is with his players -- hugging and all that stuff. But there's a tactician genius behind him as well.

"He's changed the team, he's winning the games [with] how he's playing football. It's all down to him and his backroom staff. People always see him [being] passionate and everything he gives to his players, I understand. But at the same time, you have to give credit for everything he's done for Liverpool since he came here.

"You can see big progress since he came three years ago. That's what we all want to see."

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