In football, as in life, timing is everything.
With the Copa America approaching next summer, USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter will want his key men hitting peak form.
That home-soil tournament may still be six months away but, in the case of the man expected to be his first-choice left-back, Berhalter is likely to be enthused should he search recent matches for early signs of promise.
Antonee Robinson’s performances for club and country have hit a new level in 2023, with the 26-year-old slowly adding consistency to his formidable list of attributes.
Just ask Liverpool’s multiple Premier League Golden Boot winner Mohamed Salah.
Just ask Nottingham Forest right-back Ola Aina.
In Fulham’s previous two games — an impressive display even in narrow defeat away against Liverpool at the weekend and then the five-goal demolition of Forest on Wednesday — Robinson has reminded everyone what an asset he can be for Marco Silva’s west London side.
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“His game was top level,” Fulham coach Silva said after the creditable display against Jurgen Klopp’s title contenders, which ended in a 4-3 defeat after Liverpool scored twice in the final three minutes of the 90. “He was almost always in the right position for the 100 minutes we played.”
Robinson’s raw pace, athleticism and improving technical application are making him one of the Premier League’s most effective attacking full-backs. And for Silva’s system, he is integral.
The Fulham boss prefers to use triangles in wide areas when his left-back (Robinson), left-winger (Willian) and left-sided No 8 (Andreas Pereira or, more recently, Tom Cairney) rotate. Frequently, that enables Robinson to use his speed and rapport with William to embark on underlapping and sometimes overlapping runs which create plenty of crossing opportunities and chances.
In the 3-2 win against Wolves last month, it yielded Robinson’s assist for Alex Iwobi’s opening goal. He also sent over the cross that led to the concession of Willian’s winning penalty in stoppage time. That same threat down the flank was implemented at Anfield, too. “He has the ability to arrive in (attacking) areas and he does it so often,” Silva said after Sunday’s match. “That connection with Willian on the left works so well.”
Robinson had just become the first USMNT player to record an assist in three consecutive Premier League appearances, and the first American to do it in one of the five major European domestic leagues since at least 2006-07.
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The Robinson-Willian axis may not have directly created a goal in the rout at Craven Cottage three days later but, from the start, it caused chaos and unsettled the Forest back line.
Here in the third minute, Robinson’s turbo-charged underlapping run…
…sees him collect a pass from Willian. The defender then cuts inside close to the byline and forces a corner with a low, drilled cross.
Robinson’s stamina, speed and alertness to the chance of a link-up with Willian were a problem for Steve Cooper’s men all night.
It had been just as effective against a better-organised and more confident defensive unit at Anfield, too, this time as he overlaps Iwobi and produces a dangerous cross.
Defensively, too, Robinson is heeding his manager’s call to improve his play in one versus one situations. That frequently frustrated Salah on Sunday, with a goal from the prolific forward conspicuous by its absence.
Robinson made 13 interceptions at Anfield — the most by any player in a Premier League game since the start of the 2009-10 season. His 39 in the Premier League this season puts him comfortably top of the list for that defensive contribution — James Tarkowski of Everton is second with 26. Last season, he made the second-highest number of interceptions among Premier League defenders with 53, just one behind Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings.
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That is all not to suggest a flawless player. There is still room for improvement, with difficult moments in games seeming to play on his mind. That was illustrated in the recent 3-1 defeat against Villa, when Robinson’s mistake in the build-up to the hosts’ first goal was followed by errors leading to their next two.
He is, though, keen to learn and respond. “The end product has to be better, and that’s something we are working on with him,” Silva added three days ago.
The issue appears not to have been volume. Last season, Robinson made the fourth most crosses (134) among Premier League defenders, and this season he is joint-eighth with 44. The quality of those deliveries has not always been consistent, but he does appear to be playing to his strengths by focusing on the sort of low, hard, drilled cut-backs which were so impressive against Liverpool and Forest.
Increasingly, when he reaches the byline in those situations, Robinson’s agility and athleticism allow him to be nimble in tight areas and still deliver the ball. That athleticism also often lets him cover for his club and international team-mate Tim Ream, allowing the 36-year-old centre-back to concentrate on what he does best.
“He was at a high, high level,” Silva concluded after the Liverpool match. “I’m pleased for him because, some games before, he probably wasn’t at his best so it has been good to see him react.”
Robinson’s willingness to keep improving and strong contributions at both ends of the pitch make him a comfortable first-choice for club and country.
They also make him one of the topflight’s best examples of shrewd recruitment — he cost Fulham just £1.9million ($2.4m at today’s exchange rate) when they signed him from Wigan Athletic, who had just been relegated to the third tier of English football, in the summer of 2020.
If he can continue to enhance his strong points and eradicate his weaknesses at this rate, Robinson could help the USMNT achieve something special this summer.
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Additional reporting: Peter Rutzler
(Top photo: David Horton – CameraSport via Getty Images)