Brendan Rodgers rolled the dice Tuesday.
The Liverpool manager fielded a weakened starting lineup in a UEFA Champions League road game against Real Madrid — the strongest opponent his team will face this year. Rodgers made seven changes to the Liverpool team that lost to Newcastle on Saturday, and many expected Real Madrid to steamroll over Liverpool when they saw the latest starting lineup.
But the Reds ultimately only lost to Real Madrid by a score of 1-0.
Rodgers’ mix of starters, bench and squad players fought hard and kept the game close for 90 minutes. Rodgers’ selection gamble didn’t pay off with an upset win or draw but it certainly didn’t backfire either.
After the game, Rodgers praised the spirit his team showed at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
“We showed great courage,” Rodgers said, according to Sky Sports. “The players that came into the team were excellent and we were unfortunate not to get a result against a team that is the leading team in the world at the moment.
“I had every confidence that the players we chose tonight would do well and I don’t think any other players I could have put in tonight could have put in the performance we put in.”
Rodgers also stressed that his selection only looked like a gamble from the outside and that he wasn’t resting players ahead of Saturday’s Premier League game against Chelsea.
Rodgers’s assessment of his selection as a non-gamble is correct in one sense. Rodgers played his strongest team in Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Liverpool on Oct. 22 at Anfield. That result showed the gulf in class between Liverpool and the reigning Champions League title holders, and Real Madrid was the heavy favorite going into Tuesday’s game.
Another defeat, especially a heavy one, might have eroded Liverpool’s sagging confidence levels and subjected Rodgers and his regulars to greater scrutiny. By rotating his team, Rodgers protected his regulars, put himself in the line of fire and gave some new faces a chance to demonstrate their qualities at one of the soccer world’s hallowed venues. The likes of Kolo Toure, Emre Can, Lucas Leiva and Fabio Borini repaid Rodgers’ trust.
Liverpool’s performance against Real Madrid wasn’t good enough to win or draw the game. Real Madrid dominated the territory, had 60 percent of possession and out-shot Liverpool 27-4 (with a 9-1 advantage in shots on goal). Simon Mignolet’s outstanding goalkeeping prevented Liverpool from suffering a lopsided defeat.
Real Madrid was going to control the game whether Liverpool played its regulars or rotated new players into the lineup. While Liverpool still lacked the technical quality to match Real Madrid, the Reds were physically energetic and tactically compact for 90 minutes.
Most importantly, Liverpool showed great determination and mental strength to push a stronger opponent for a result until the end of the game. Liverpool didn’t do that Saturday against Newcastle, but it looks like the Reds’ fighting spirit has been restored.
Rodgers did gamble by rotating his team Tuesday, but we won’t know how much it paid off until we see how Liverpool performs Saturday against Chelsea.
Review our Liverpool-Real Madrid live blog >>
Photo by Andres Kucacki/The Associated Press
