Real Madrid defeat was catalyst for Liverpool´s stunning season – Robertson

Andy Robertson says the disappointment of last season’s Champions League final defeat has been the catalyst for Liverpool’s fine campaign.

The Reds suffered a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in May last year but have bounced back in style this term.

They finished second in the Premier League behind Manchester City after amassing a whopping 97 points and have reached a second consecutive Champions League final, where they will face Tottenham on Saturday.

Robertson, who has made 47 appearances across all competitions this season, attributes their memorable campaign to the frustration of the defeat to Madrid – and he is determined to be on the winning side this time around.

“It has all been about how we used the disappointment of getting beat in the final,” he told Liverpool’s official website.

“Luckily, we used it to our advantage. We used that as motivation. We used it as motivation in pre-season – more so to get all the fitness in our legs, so we were ready and determined to get off to a good start in the season.

The countdown is ON…#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/YYQl7ln0c3

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 27, 2019

“I think teams can go one or two ways if they have that disappointment. It can easily set them back and they can struggle. Luckily, we’ve not done that.

“Obviously we hope that we don’t have that feeling again because I still remember how I felt for days after the final. It wasn’t a nice feeling.

“You want to be on the winning side – of course you do. We’ll be doing everything to not have that feeling again this year.”

Liverpool beat Tottenham in both their Premier League games this season, most recently at Anfield in March, but Robertson does not think those results will have much of a bearing on the outcome at the Wanda Metropolitano.

“I don’t think we can take anything from the two Premier League games going into a final,” he added.

“A final is a one-off game and you have to deal with the emotions and how big the game is and things like that.

“You also need to try to perform to your best. We know if we don’t perform to our best then we’ve got no chance – and so will they. But if both of us perform to their best then let’s see who comes out on top.

“It’s going to be a hard game, but I don’t think we can concentrate too much on any Premier League game against them because it’s a completely different scenario.”