Liverpool's Roy Hodgson defends selection policy against Utrecht, Dirk Kuyt eyes European glory
Liverpool FC manager Roy Hodgson has defended his decision to rest some of his key players in Wednesday night’s UEFA Europa League clash against Dutch side FC Utrecht.
Earlier, in a pre match briefing, Roy had revealed his plans of fielding a strong line-up for the European clash with fringe players like Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina being involved in the game.
However, the fans and media were surprised when the Reds took the field at Anfield as Torres and Reina, both were missing from the playing 11.
The match ended in a 0-0 stalemate with both teams lacking the vision and creativity in the attacking third of the pitch.
Liverpool finished top of Group K with 10 points after 6 matches, ahead of Italian outfit SSC Napoli.
The manager later apologized to the Liverpool faithful, after the match. Roy assured that the decision was taken keeping in mind the best interest of the players and the club.
He said, “When I got back to the club yesterday afternoon and we started talking about it, I sensed the potential disadvantages far outweighed any advantages. By reneging on my first idea of playing Fernando, I've got a totally fresh team to play against
Fulham on Saturday. I'm sorry if I misled people, but I didn't do so intentionally.”
Hodgson will face his old side Fulham FC on Saturday in the English Premier League. The 63-year-old manager joined the Merseysiders after completing 3 successful seasons with the west-Londoners.
Meanwhile, winger Dirk Kuyt has said that his side can achieve European glory by winning this season’s Europa League.
The Dutchman is aware of the tough teams that they would have to face in order to claim silverware, but still remains optimistic of his side’s chances of going all the way.
Kuyt faced his old side Utrecht on Wednesday night, when he substituted Milan Jovanovic in the 73rd minute of the match.
The Dutchman got a huge round of applause from both sets of supporters and the 30-year-old was quite pleased with the reception he received.
He said, “The supporters from Utrecht were unbelievable, just as are the Liverpool fans, and after seven years to get a reception like this it’s unbelievable, and it shows a lot of respect and I’m thankful for that.”
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