Is There a Need for All the Rotation?

It is very well publicised that Rafael Benitez is a big believer in rotating his squad, and it is largely looked at by the press as being detrimental to Liverpool’s title credentials. But is it?

On Wednesday night Liverpool faced Portsmouth at Anfield, yes we walked away with the maximum points, but it was not a convincing win. Many pundits stated that we did not look as convincing as we did against Chelsea, and the main reason was the amount of players the Benitez changed from a winning side (note the word amount, not which players were changed).

Against Portsmouth, Benitez made four changes from the starting line up that faced Chelsea three days prior. Now this should be looked at, the reasons behind them tell you that Benitez should be complimented on the changes, and not made out to be ruining our title chance.

First player to be changed was Daniel Agger—a player who has only very recently come back from a long term injury, and is no where near 100% match fit. Playing two games in short succession, would have definitely taken its toll. And don’t forget that we have a game against Spurs on Saturday—making it three matches in less than a week.

The next player to face rotation was Javier Mascherano. Why would Benitez leave out one of our best players and replace him with a young Brazilian? Masch has just returned to the club from international duty with Argentina (17th October) and has not had time to fully rest from a vigorous trip and game.

If the opportunity arose to give him a few extra days grace, and we had suitable cover—remember Lucas is a member of the Brazilian first team for a reason, then why not.

Next, why was Riera rested on the wing? Well, he is still not fully adjusted to the English game, and the three games in less than a week is tough on any player, especially one that does as much running as Riera does.

Babel was played in his place, giving more backup to the lone striker Kuyt, so tactically this swap made sense too.

Lastly Jermaine Pennant was played ahead of Robbie Keane; well Kuyt was played as a lone striker due to Keane not being 100%, which left the right side empty. Pennant has a lot to prove at Liverpool—the epitome of inconsistency, but when given a rare opportunity, he can sometimes shine (and after his display against Portsmouth, he deserves another shout against Spurs).

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