Andoni Iraola, the Liverpool manager, previewed his side's upcoming clash with Brighton at Anfield next Sunday, part of the eighth round of Premier League fixtures.
The Reds go into the match fifth in the table on 12 points, nine behind leaders Manchester City and their perfect record. Brighton sit third with 16 points.
Iraola weighed up starting Rio Ngumoha against Brighton after the youngster set up two goals in the thrilling 4-3 win over Villarreal in the Champions League. He refused to tip his hand, pointing to the constant rotation he leans on.
"It is not just about Rio, but about everyone, as it depends on how we feel about their physical condition," Iraola told Sky Sports. "We make a lot of changes to the line-up because we play every three or four days, so sometimes the players feel fatigued, or there is a greater risk, so we decide to rest some or bring in fresh blood."
The Spanish manager added: "This approach will continue in our match against Brighton, and against Chelsea, and so on, because the matches do not stop and we have to keep going. I am happy that we are changing the line-up a little and giving players some rest, and they are responding well."
On Ngumoha, he went on: "He finished the last Villarreal match tired, and that is natural. I want all the players to finish every match feeling exhausted because that means they gave everything they have, but in the attacking positions too, I usually substitute them all and they do not complete the match until the end."
Iraola had plenty of praise for his opponents, stressing just how tough the test will be. "They are producing an amazing performance and deserve all the praise they are getting," he said. "It is a very well-coached team, and this is their third season with Fabian Hürzeler, and they are very good in all phases of play."
He explained: "Without the ball, I consider them one of the best teams, and with the ball at their feet, they have high quality, and we have to be at our best to overcome them because they have confidence. But in return, I see my team in a good position too. Both teams will try to control the match, and we on our part will try to press and win the duels, and that will be a big challenge."
Liverpool have yet to win a Premier League game at Anfield this season, but Iraola insisted the venue matters little in his hunt for points. "I want to win matches whether it is at home or away, we need points from anywhere we can collect them," he said.
"It is true that we have not achieved a win on our ground in the league, but the other three matches we played at home were high-level matches against Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham," he continued. "We won them and gave a good performance at home too. Now we play at home against Brighton, and we will also play at home during the following two matches, so I would really like to win them, but if we were going to play away, I would say the same thing."
Alexis Mac Allister also came in for special praise over the levels he is producing. Iraola called him "one of the other leaders we have. He has great experience, for although he is still relatively young, he has taken part in matches at the highest level, and won major titles both at club and national team level, and he has been really good."
He added: "I think he was the last to arrive alongside Victor Munoz, perhaps he arrived a little before him, but after two or three weeks he was in great technical shape and he is producing consistently steady performances. Sometimes we play well and then drop off in the next match, but Alex has now reached a stage where he consistently produces good levels, and I hope he can maintain this level because it will make things easier for us."
Iraola closed with an update on the team's fitness ahead of Sunday. "Bradley Barcola trained normally today, he is fine and does not suffer from any problems, it was just a matter of managing the extra physical load and sometimes they have to stay indoors," he said.
On the rest of the injured, he added: "Victor Munoz suffered a knock in the first half during the Brentford match, he managed to complete the match well but he is suffering from some pain, and his participation against Villarreal was very early, and I do not know whether he will be ready to make the Brighton match."
Dominik Szoboszlai, he confirmed, will miss out. "Dominik will be absent over the weekend. I do not think his return date is far off, but he has not trained with the group yet, and given that we started him against Villarreal and had to substitute him, we will probably give him an extra day or two to recover compared to last week. Things are in a good place, Dominik is already training alone outdoors and will soon join group training, but he is not ready for this match."