Benitez stands firm on rotation policy
Despite constant criticism, particularly from the army of ex-Liverpool stars who are now television pundits, the Spaniard barely considers for one second that they might have a point when they demand he picks his best side and sticks by it.
Jamie Carragher was on the bench for Saturday’s Premiership victory over Tottenham but will surely return against the Turks at Anfield tonight as Liverpool aim to build on their opening draw against PSV in Eindhoven.
Benitez said: “I was surprised by the fact I have changed the team for the last 93 games – but when you analyse why I know the reasons.
“You cannot compare selections; if you have 25 players to choose 11 from each game, then it is not difficult to see why that statistic has emerged.
“I can understand after the Everton and Chelsea defeats people saying I should stick with one side only – but now we have beaten Newcastle and Spurs and maybe people can see why changes are made.
“If you change players and the team wins then the fans say ‘fantastic’. At Valencia we won two league titles and the UEFA Cup – and now here we have won the Champions League, the FA Cup, Super Cup and Community Shield. That is not bad with this policy of rotation.”
With Liverpool set to mark the 25th anniversary of Bill Shankly’s death on Friday, Benitez understands the history but insists on a modern style.
“You can always learn from the past. But everything changes in life now, and it is difficult when you talk about the way the game is played,” he said.
“This club has more tradition than most clubs, but we must improve if we want to keep winning.
“Other clubs spend big money and they have a lot of players. You must keep the memories from the past, the right things, but if you need to improve and change things you must do it.”
The rotation will continue then.
Benitez added: “The most important thing for me is to use different players with similar ideas. If you do that then for me the team isn’t changing.
“We have signed players to compete in the Premier League and we have players who play better in Europe and are more suited to that, so we have good enough players for both competitions.
“Maybe it is an obsession here, where players expect to play in every match and fans expect that.
“But it is a question of education. Players cannot play 60-plus matches a season and do their best in them all.
“I have talked to some of our English players, and they like to play every game. That is common in England. But if you can win by changing players and keeping legs fresh until the end of the season, you will be playing for trophies.
“People should look at the Champions League and FA Cup finals, see how we changed the team and won the trophies. The big picture is to look at the whole season.”
Benitez will continue to swap and change the likes of Sami Hyypia, Peter Crouch and Jermaine Pennant – but personalities will not bother him.
He said: “It is a team game, but with big names. It is common to talk of man of the match and who scored – not always to talk about systems and how the team played.
“For me, it is no problem. I will keep going with my ideas if I believe it is good for the team.
“Big players like Stevie (Gerrard) and Jamie (Carragher) do understand, although it is not always easy.
“Maybe people do not question when I leave out Luis Garcia or Mark Gonzalez, but they do when it is Stevie or Jamie. But if we continue winning, and continue winning trophies, then I will rotate.
“There is a bigger picture, thinking about trophies, and sometimes you are trying to protect players. They do not like it; they prefer to play in the big games. But you need to keep them fit for the next two or three games, looking to the future.
“We did it in Valencia and won trophies. We are doing it here and winning trophies. If you win the Champions League then who is to argue?
“All the squad is available. That is maybe my perfect position ... because I can rotate!”
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