Andoni Iraola has defended his rotation policy in the Champions League, insisting his Liverpool squad will benefit over the course of the season, even as he acknowledged the team has been "a lot weaker" defensively in Europe.
Iraola made five changes from the side narrowly beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the Premier League as Liverpool lost 3-2 to Fenerbahce in Turkey on Wednesday evening. Bradley Barcola struggled in an unfamiliar centre-forward role, while deputy left-back Kostas Tsimikas found it difficult against former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood.
Long-term view on squad rotation
Iraola also made five changes from the team that won at Brentford last month for the visit of Villarreal in the Champions League, watching his side fall two goals behind before eventually prevailing 4-3 at Anfield.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's trip to Crystal Palace, Iraola said he and the coaching staff are taking a long-term approach to how they use the available players.
"I think obviously we are changing not just in the defence but overall in the team," Iraola said. "It's quite a lot of rotations and we need to do it. We are looking at the mid to long term and it is always good to keep players involved."
Defensive concerns in Europe
"But it is true that in the Champions League we have been a lot weaker defensively," he added. "There are reasons but we will take decisions according to how we see the team, how we see the players, the demands of every game. But it is true that we have rotated quite a lot, yes."
Iraola noted the contrasting patterns between competitions, saying: "It's been a strange season in terms of in the Champions League we are scoring a lot, conceding a lot. In the Premier League we are scoring less and conceding less. Obviously we want to score a lot and concede less. That's the challenge we have."
Reflecting on the Fenerbahce defeat, he said: "It is a matter of controlling the games but also sometimes we, for example the other day against Fenerbahce, we were controlling the game, sometimes too much. Sometimes we were having possession, having good positions and arriving but sometimes we have to throw numbers inside the box, arrive with more players."
"It will take (away) a little bit of control, yes, but it will give us more threat in the times we arrive. I think, especially against Arsenal, the way we attacked the box, has to be better."
