Source: PA
Hodgson to decide whether Gerrard plays
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson will not try to protect senior stars like Steven Gerrard when the club's Europa League campaign gets under way this week.
The 62-year-old will decide on Tuesday whether the England captain, and his international team-mates Jamie Carragher, Glen Johnson and new signing Joe Cole, should be included for the third qualifying round tie in Macedonia against Rabotnicki.
But if he does select the likes of Gerrard he will at least respect their stature in the game by naming them in the starting line-up rather than keeping them on the bench for an emergency.
"I don't know what to do at this stage," he said. "I will have to liaise with them and (head of sports science) Peter Brukner and make a decision by Tuesday on what sort of team I can put out.
"It is going to be a difficult discussion between myself and Peter because his feeling is we shouldn't use any of them and I am going to be tempted to say I want to use quite a few of them."
