Rodgers' decision to rest Gerrard and Sterling an insult to Liverpool fans

Posted Wednesday, November 05, 2014 by Goal.com

The Reds manager rested several key players for the Champions League clash at the Santiago Bernabeu, effectively throwing in the towel before kick-off

As they came out of the tunnel on Tuesday, the Real Madrid players were welcomed by the sight of thousands of waving white flags - the only surprise was that Brendan Rodgers was not holding one of them.

That Liverpool’s second-string were only beaten 1-0 in their Champions League clash at the Santiago Bernabeu should not excuse Rodgers’ decision to throw in the towel before a ball had been kicked.

The Reds’ makeshift team come out of the game with credit despite losing to Karim Benzema's first-half strike. They defended bravely, certainly weren’t embarrassed, and were in with a chance until the closing stages even if they failed to create a chance of real note.

But it is no surprise that they never looked like scoring given their starting XI had only notched two goals between them this season as Rodgers rested key players with an eye on Saturday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea at Anfield.

In doing so, Rodgers let down the brilliant supporters in the stands who spent thousands to watch their team against the European champions and never stopped singing.

This was supposed to be what it’s all about. The five-time European champions, back in the big-time for the first time in five years, playing away against the Champions League holders.

In the stands, Liverpool fans sang Rodgers’ name loud and proud, but his starting XI drew an uncomfortable comparison with the flags in the away end: ‘Spirit of Shankly lives on’, ‘a certain style of life’. This wasn't it. This isn't the League Cup.

Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson, Mario Balotelli and Philippe Coutinho all watched on from the bench as Fabio Borini, Lazar Markovic and Kolo Toure played on the biggest stage.

In fact, the Liverpool starting line-up probably falls foul of Uefa rules requiring participants to ‘field their strongest team throughout the competition’.