All aboard the rotation roundabout to Reading?

Today we are away to Reading in the Carling Cup. Last year a weakened and rotated side was dumped out of this competition by Arsenal’s “youngsters” via an embarrassing 6-3 thrashing at Anfield. However, this year Rafa Benitez has said that he wants to challenge for trophies on all fronts.

“It is a trophy I would be happy to win, the first season I was here we got to the final.”

Perhaps Rafa would care to enlighten us about which trophies he would not be happy to win? Seriously though, I would imagine that this one is at the bottom of his list of priorities. After Saturday it is debatable as to what is at the top but that’s another matter!

This is a game where we should be talking about rotating the squad, resting a few players for Saturday’s match at Wigan, after the Porto and Birmingham games, giving squad members, or even the youngsters, a chance to play. However the league games at Portsmouth and this weekend, at home to Birmingham, have pre-empted talks of such change. Benitez was unable to keep his tinkering hands firmly in his pockets and made switches, some would say needless ones, for both games. The results were unimpressive, two points from a possible six. Truly a case of premature rotation?

The more I think about Saturday’s game the more I’m baffled. Benitez said he preferred Kuyt and Voronin over Torres because he felt they..

“…were the type of striker I would have needed to work hard against a packed defence..”.

What is he saying here? That Torres doesn’t work hard or that, at £28m and an established international, he isn’t capable of dealing with Birmingham City’s defence. What about other team’s defences, don’t most of them set out their stall in a similar way when they come to Anfield? It does not say a lot about his confidence in Torres or his ability to consider the impact of his decision on the fans and the opposition. Get this from Birmingham’s Maik Taylor

“I was a bit surprised they didn’t start with Torres…. We were certainly pleased he wasn’t playing.”

It must not be forgotten that, with or without Torres, we still played below par. Was this inspite of rotation, and therefore part of a wider problem, or because of it, and had we won it wouldn’t be such an issue? Although it’s difficult not to start thinking all sorts of things about Rafa’s methods on Saturday, what’s gone is gone and the priority now must be to get the team firing again after this “dip”. Will this be achieved against Reading? Reports suggest that players such Jack Hobbs and new keeper Charles Itandje might start along with Lucas Leiva and Sebastian Leto. If Reading field a full side it could be an interesting affair?

Prediction? Given the way the Carling Cup has been treated by the top clubs in the past, no one would expect Rafa to field a full side, even against premiership opposition? Reading might consider this tournament as their best chance of silverware, but Steve Coppell might also be tempted to rest some of his first team? A question of who rotates the least? Having said that Torres, Gerrard and Carragher are in the squad. A last resort if the second string doesn’t work out? Or perhaps Rafa, after the last few games, realises that he needs a win? Another poor result will only see him faced with more unwanted questions?