Many were surprised by the team selection for Liverpool on match-day 4 of the Champions League at the Bernabéu. Much changed were the words of the day as squad also-rans like Kolo Toure and Lucas were given starting positions against the European Champions.
But for a team that was so much changed they may have put in the best performance of the season. Lucas played his position well making it hard for finesse players like James and Ronaldo to pass around and cut open Liverpool. Kolo has now made a case for himself to be included in the game against Chelsea. Even though on the night Martin Škrtel was captain, Kolo bossed and managed the back four very well. Something Liverpool have been missing all season; a leader at the back. Although the rust of the bench did show when Touré was caught ball watching which lead to Benzema’s goal. With that being said, which of Liverpool’s defensive players haven’t had a mistake that has lead to a goal this season? None of them. Which player has taken control of that back 4 as much as Kolo has in his two starts this season? None of them. Kolo has given Brendan Rodgers a selection headache for the game at Anfield against Chelsea, with Rodgers probably not expecting him to do so well. Along with Lucas who seems to play the defensive midfielder position better than Steven Gerrard does.
There were players who struggled though. No more so than Markovic and Lallana. Markovic seemed more to be unlucky than struggling. With his first touch deserting him and balls being caught between his feet he seems like his bad luck just won’t leave him so far this season. On the other hand Lallana struggled and mighty so. The game looked too much for him and he tended to shy away from the ball rather than coming to collect it. Ronaldo did the exact opposite at the other end. Moving into space, taking up good positions and making great passes. Whereas Lallana seemed happier watching the game pass him by.
After the game it has come to light that Liverpool may be in trouble for “resting players”, as stars like Gerrard and Sterling watched most of the game from the sideline. UEFA has a rule that states that the strongest team must be played at all times throughout the competition. So with Liverpool changing so many from the team that played against Real Madrid at Anfield and starting their captain on the bench, these actions may have resulted in a fine for the club. Unbelievable to think that UEFA can dictate the team that must be played and self determine what is the strongest team for a club. But that’s the rules and as Legia Warsaw will tell you, rules must be followed.
What it really comes down is the word “rested”. If UEFA believed these players were rested then Liverpool would have been in trouble. It can be argued, however, that in fact these players were dropped from the team. Thankfully, though most won’t see it this way, Liverpool’s recent form will justify the dropped scenario. The team that played in to Bernabéu lost 1-0 compared to the star studded team that were humbled 3-0 at Anfield. Steven Gerrard, Balotelli, Sterling and Coutinho all played in the loss against Newcastle last Saturday so it would have been hard for UEFA to prove what really is Liverpool’s best team. And if UEFA do find out what exactly is the best team can someone please tell Brendan Rodgers?!
Ultimately, if this team had beaten Real away then none of this would be talked about. We would be talking about how clever Brendan Rodgers is with his team and how his tactics helped Liverpool win. But we are not, instead we have UEFA trying to tell us who to play when staring another defeat in the face. Basically sums up Liverpool’s season so far. Pathetic.
UEFA have taken no further action, and rightly so.
