Interesting to hear what you think Moreno brings from a technical standpoint and in the final third as I know you are a fan of his?
I think Moreno does a good job of carrying the football when he has space to run with it in transition because he is so quick (and he dribbles well) BUT for the most part, he usually checks back and gives the ball to Coutinho. It's rare that he takes anything other than the safe option (usually a 5 yard pass) and when he does his crossing is very inconsistent.
You are right about Robertson from a defensive point of view though, we haven't seen the lad defend yet, we'll no more after Friday night.
Was waiting for the Arsenal game to answer this post and it confirmed some of the things I've seen / thought so far.
Not necessarily a 'fan' of Moreno, though I admit I've warmed to him seeing how he has come back after pretty much being out of the door last season and then putting in solid performances and generally playing well. Just want to offer a bit of a "counterweight". People underrate Moreno's performances because they can't wait to see the back of him and wait for him to f**k up while overrating Robertson's performances for the same reasons.
From a technical viewpoint I think Moreno has a better touch and passing than Robertson does, while Robertson's crossing is obviously better. Think he's also better at beating a man 1 vs 1, Robertson seems to lack that 'burst of pace' to beat someone.
Moreno does indeed check back often, but that's because there's no use for us putting cross after cross after cross into the box. I think in time we'll see Robertson doing more of the same. We don't have the players to compete for high crosses, which is why the vast majority of our crosses are hard and low. We usually put high crosses into the box when there's space in behind the opposition defence (Salah against Leicester, Firmino against Arsenal, Firmino against Bournemouth, ...) That's where Robertson's crossing is a weapon, but he has to choose his moments better. Both Robertson and Trent AA have provided us with some absolute beauties when there's space in behind the opposition defence.
The way we play, our FBs have to provide width to stretch the opposition's defences. Checking back to play to Coutinho who is in that area with Moreno / Robertson most of the time, gives Coutinho that little extra time / space to set up the attacking moves. Checking back is not a bad thing. Klopp often says it's about patience, making the right decisions at the right time. Crossing more often than not leads to us losing possession. Checking back and keeping the ball moving is the better option. That's where the decision making I mentioned (for Robertson) has to improve. When is the cross on and when do I check back.
There has already been some improvement there. If you go back to the Everton game (where he crossed the ball every single time), then West Brom, Bournemouth and today Arsenal, he is crossing the ball less often (I don't have the numbers to back it up, but it was a noticable difference for me) but when he is crossing, usually it's at the right moment (a few times today for example).
I actually think he'd be of a lot more use in a team like Spurs or even the scum. They have more players to compete for his crosses.
Thought he had an okay game today. Got caught out a few times and I think that in the second half he struggled with the pace of the game (he wasn't the only one), but overall, decent performance.
All in all, he's obviously a talented young footballer and I'm very happy to have both him and Moreno as our LB options. I agree with Chats that Moreno's pace and energy suit us better, but that as Scotia says, Robertson has the more "natural football brain" Still plenty of room for improvement.