Liverpool: Big Week Facing Reds; Brendan Rodgers Must Decide Priorities

Liverpool are ready to face two games on the space of three days this week which might reveal several insights as to how Brendan Rodgers' squad and ideas are shaping up at the club. He faces a tough Europa League fixture ahead of the first Merseyside derby of the new manager's reign.

The Reds will entertain Anzhi Makhachkala of Russia in Group A of the Europa League on Thursday, where the boss could make several changes from his regular Premier League side.

Exactly how many players he chooses to swap, or rest, will indicate exactly where on the scale of Liverpool's season Rodgers rates the European competition.

Of course, Liverpool's priority lies with the Premier League and improving their position—the Reds are currently 12th in the Premier League—but Rodgers has some considerations to weigh before he decides how easily he is willing to give up continental competitive football this season.

At present, Liverpool stand third in the group where only the top two will qualify for the knock-out stages post-Christmas. That in itself is not a problem. Only one point separates the top two from the Reds and with still 12 points to play for, nothing is set in stone.

It is apparent, however, that some sacrifices will need to be made in the Europa League for the good of the long-term domestic benefits for the club.

Liverpool have been lucky enough to combine an age-group of youngsters just about mature enough to handle the rigours of top-level football with a manager who is brave enough to back their quality and give them a chance to shine; otherwise the lack of senior depth in the Liverpool squad would have been severely tested this season in both competitions.

Gone are the days when Steven Gerrard could play 50 matches in a season. He, like key team-mates Daniel Agger, Luis Suarez and the like, need to be withdrawn from action on a regular basis so that they can provide their best energy and enthusiasm on a league match-day—and no time more so than this coming weekend, where Liverpool will face up to Everton.

The Blue half of Merseyside are unbeaten at home in the league this season and have tasted defeat only once in the Premiership. The Reds will have to be at their best to overcome their neighbours and having as many of their best players as possible fit and fresh will be key.

But where does the line need to be drawn?

Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom will both likely figure in the derby for the Reds, while Suso could also. All three are teenagers in their first full season of competitive top flight football and all three have put forward their case for inclusion by performing excellently in the Europa League.

Yes, there is a trophy at the end of the competition to aim for, but Europe's secondary competition is proving something perhaps even more valuable for Liverpool this season—a proving ground for the best young talent in the club's ranks.

For the likes of Samed Yesil, Jack Robinson, maybe Adam Morgan and even some non-teenagers who are fighting for regular first team recognition—Jordan Henderson and Sebastian Coates to name but two—this season's Europa League has already been shown as a genuine route into the first team which they themselves will want to likewise take advantage of.

How then does Brendan Rodgers judge this balancing act?

He has difficult, difficult games following Liverpool's next two Europa League games.

If he wants to qualify for the knock-out stages, thereby giving his second-string players further opportunities in the new year to prove themselves and keep them involved in the first team picture, then the Reds realistically need to pick up a total of around 10 points—they currently have three from two games.

Home wins over Anzhi and Young Boys would see Liverpool almost home, with qualification extremely likely if they can take a draw from either visit to Russia or Italy, against Udinese.

This next home game then against Anzhi must be a big dilemma for the manager, who will want to take three points and beat a very strong outfit—but surely not at the expense of weakening his team before his first ever Liverpool-Everton derby match?

At least these two fixtures involve next to no travel. The next Europa League game (away in Russia) is followed by a trek to London as Liverpool play Chelsea, another two very difficult games in a row to contend with.

How many points Liverpool take from this double-header against Anzhi will go quite some way to shaping their progress—or otherwise—from the group stages of the Europa League.

It's up to the players who get given their chance in the first team to prove they can do the job against big opponents and be counted on in future. But it's up to Rodgers to pick those XI who will give Liverpool the best chance of victory without sacrificing too much from the bigger game which follows it.

Exactly how many first team players are entrusted to stay in the side for the Europa League game might tell us an awful lot about how much value Rodgers places in the competition at this stage, with the benefits and the drawbacks it presents to the club.

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