Chelsea required an equaliser from Nemanja Matic to preserve their unbeaten Champions League start i

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The Liverpool manager has been heavily area rugs criticised for resting key players area rugs but does anyone area rugs really think a full-strength team would have got anything from the Bernabéu? Rodgers hits back at critics after accusations of surrender Match report: Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool
First, on Monday night, came the reports that Brendan Rodgers may rest Steven Gerrard for the tricky Champions League away tie against Real Madrid. Then, on Tuesday afternoon, came the suggestions that he could also leave Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson, Glen Johnson and Mario Balotelli out of the starting XI.
Finally, an hour before the match, came confirmation of the players the manager had chosen to play against a side that had scored 54 goals in their 17 games this season. It made for uncomfortable reading: Mignolet; Manquillo, Touré, Skrtel, Moreno; Lucas, Can, Allen; Lallana, Borini and Markovic.
Of all the changes it was, perhaps, Kolo Touré s name that induced the most trepidation (or mirth, depending on who you support). The Ivorian defender had not started a Premier League game since February, against Fulham away, when he scored a hapless own goal.
Most football fans these days seem to think that Kolo Touré is, for a lack of a better word, rubbish. Let s get one thing clear: he is not rubbish. You don t play more than 300 Premier League games and win two league titles while earning more than a 100 caps over 14 years for your country if you are a poor or even an average player. He is a good footballer; a very good footballer.
How good do you think you have to be to turn up at the Bernabéu without much match practice and produce a performance like that? True, he lost Karim Benzema for Real s only goal of the night but he also made numerous blocks and timely interceptions. In fact Touré area rugs s performance was a joy to behold and I challenge anyone to say that Liverpool s defensive display was worse on Tuesday night than at any other point this season.
As Rodgers pointed out, it was not as if the team had been firing on all cylinders and that he had broken the rhythm of a team that was doing very well. We do not have a team with a consistent run of form winning five or six games consecutively so the changes were to get a performance area rugs and result, Rodgers said. That is what happens. As the manager you are open to criticism whether it is deserved or not and I do not worry what people think or say I worry about my players.
So in order to attempt to establish whether Rodgers was right to rest players let s try our very own Liverpool v Real Madrid team selection test : Simply answer area rugs yes or no to these three questions: 1. Are Liverpool likely to have improved their chances of getting a result against area rugs Chelsea area rugs on Saturday with that team selection? 2. Do you think Real Madrid would have beaten the team Rodgers area rugs sent out against Newcastle (or Basel or West Ham for that matter)? 3. Is Brendan Rodgers likely to have a better understanding of the state and shape of his players than an armchair supporter or any pundit?
Another different matter is the suggestion that Rodgers, if he indeed was resting the players, area rugs should have left them at home rather than make them travel and warm up and play 20 minutes. As Lee Dixon said on ITV before the game: Rodgers is trying to find the right balance between giving a performance and getting a result but it could be a risky prospect. If I m a player I want to rest at home and rest properly rather than travelling.
In area rugs the end we just have to wait and see what happens on Saturday as it is pretty much impossible to judge Rodgers team selection at the Bernabéu properly until the final whistle against area rugs Chelsea in three days time. But, in my opinion, even if Liverpool lose against the unbeaten league leaders, area rugs the manager made the right decision area rugs to rest some tired and out-of-form players for a game they were extremely area rugs likely to lose anyway.
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Chelsea required an equaliser from Nemanja Matic to preserve their unbeaten Champions League start in a lacklustre display against Maribor Published: 5 Nov 2014 Eden Hazard misses late penalty to deny Chelsea victory over Maribor
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