Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has opened up on how Andy Robertson’s struggles in Liverpool training often leave him baffled.
Robertson has been one of Liverpool's most consistent performers in recent years, and has come to be regarded among the best full-backs in world football.
The Scotland international has made 138 appearances for the Reds since joining from Hull City in 2017, helping the Anfield club to Champions League and Premier League glory.
But Oxlade-Chamberlain has now revealed how Robertson really struggles when his skills are put to the test in drills such as rondo.
“I say to him, everyone, all the time, ‘How can someone that is so bad in a box or a rondo, like the worst I have ever seen, be so good in a match?’.
“You watch him in a rondo, and he’s like he has never played football before. He gets in a match, and he’s so reliable, it’s a skill.”
Speaking to the press in December of last year, Reds assistant Pepi Lijnders explained how James Milner inspired the training exercise at the club.
“The five-v-two rondo is a good example. It’s actually called Milly’s rondo now after I got inspired by James Milner because he always intercepted the ball within the first few passes,” he said.
“He was really quick and brought the focus of the rondo to another level. I was like: ‘How can I come up with a rule that everyone will execute with his kind of intensity?’
“So I gave an extra incentive for the two players in the middle if they would intervene within the first six passes. So I told Milly: ‘This is your idea!’ The other players loved it.”
However, one man who has caught the eye of Oxlade-Chamberlain in training is Thiago Alcantara.
The former Barcelona star joined the Reds in the summer from Bayern Munich and Oxlade-Chamberlain is loving watching him in action on a daily basis.
“He has been one of my favourite midfielders for years,” he told Soccer AM. “To see him do what he does daily, he is a top, top player.”
