Will resting his stars pay off for Brendan Rodgers?

Will resting all his stars pay off for the Liverpool boss?

Liverpool play Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime and they need a result for the Liverpool boss to justify his team selection in Madrid on Tuesday night.

Brendan Rodgers caused quite a stir when he rested some of his bigger names for the Champions League trip to Real Madrid.

The Liverpool teamsheet appeared to signal the attitude that the game could not be won, with Rodgers deciding to rest skipper Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Mario Balotelli for this weekend's clash with Chelsea at Anfield.

Did the Reds throw in the towel and has Rodgers made an error of judgement?

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Abandoning Anfield's Tradition

On the face of it, Rodgers went against the very foundations on which Liverpool FC is built.

The club that refused to concede defeat in Istanbul when trailing AC Milan by three goals were effectively giving up before kick-off.

Of course, the Reds boss denied such claims insisting the players selected were capable of getting a positive result. Neither neutrals nor die hard Reds were buying that line however.

Bill Shankly once claimed "at Liverpool we always said we had the best two teams on Merseyside, Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves."

Perhaps Rodgers was interpreting that claim literally in Madrid.

Tackling Europe's Best

Liverpool rejoiced after ending their Champions League hiatus last May; a decent consolation prize having missed out on the Premier League title.

When the draw paired them with the reigning European champions, players and fans alike knew this was the moment the Merseyside club would once again stand shoulder to shoulder with Europe's best.

In resting Gerrard, Sterling, Balotelli, Coutinho and Jordan Henderson the Liverpool manager tarnished the reputation of a once great European club. This was the night that Liverpool conceded they are not in the same league as Real Madrid.

Of course, we all witnessed the demolition job Madrid did at Anfield and there can be no doubting Carlo Ancelotti's side is bequeathed with talent far beyond the current Reds side.

But the beauty of football shows time and again that the odds can be upset.

Arguably, Liverpool's chances of securing something at the Bernabeu was greater than on home soil. Madrid are prone to lapses in concentration on their own patch and perhaps Sterling and Coutinho might have made the visitors a more realistic threat.

Widespread Disdain for changes

In making the glut of changes, Rodgers facilitated widespread castigation of both his methods and his players.

Jose Mourinho sarcastically mused ahead of his sides visit to Anfield on Saturday whether Rodgers in fact had the key to management in fielding a weak team against top class opposition.

The Portuguese is almost certain to instil extra motivation in his Chelsea players given Liverpool have 'rested' for their lunchtime meeting on Saturday.

Paul Scholes in his role as television pundit wondered whether Liverpool's motivation in Madrid was simply 'avoiding a doing'.

Rodgers' selection will have more far reaching consequences that he may have foreseen and this is a stick that will be used to beat the Anfield men for a while to come.

Will It Pay Off?

Between now and Saturday, the focus will be intense on Liverpool's shock tactics and whether it will help them in their quest to derail Chelsea.

On both teams form this season, the suspicion is that Chelsea will be too strong for Liverpool regardless of who lines up for the Reds.

Recalling Gerrard, Coutinho, Sterling and Balotelli is unlikely to send shivers down the spines of Fabregas, Oscar, Hazard and Costa.

Liverpool have looked mentally fragile this season already. The apparent open admission by their manager that his side cannot compete with the very best is unlikely to bring about increased belief in his dressing room.

Real Madrid would have beaten any side Rodgers selected in the Spanish capital on Tuesday. By so publicly acknowledging that fact, the Liverpool manager has invited the endless criticism that comes his way.