Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has responded angrily to the criticism levelled at him by Gary Lineker over his team selection against Real Madrid last night, as reported by the Daily Star.

Rodgers named a perceived weakened eleven for the match against the Spanish giants, and some, including Lineker, questioned the sensibility of seemingly giving up on the opportunity to win against Real in the Champions League.

Liverpool ultimately lost the away clash 1-0.

The likes of Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling and Mario Balotelli were all left on the bench for the game.

However, Rodgers has justified his selection to the press, despite BBC pundit and former Everton star Lineker claiming that the Reds had thrown in the towel ahead of the match.

Rodgers has also hit back at Lineker after seeing his team play well against Los Blancos, saying: “Gary’s a figure who I respect and he’s been a top player in his day.

“But he has never been a manager, so he does not know what you’re up against with planning and training.

“This was far from us throwing in the white towel. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in every one of his last 12 games, so my players put in a performance that did befit this club. In terms of my team selection, I’m not really bothered. I go with my gut feeling and my gut feeling was that the performance on Saturday [a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle] was not good enough.

“We have seven games in 21 days and because we cannot train so much we have to develop in the games. I did not see this as the big showpiece game where we have to play the big names.”

The Reds face a difficult clash at the weekend, facing off against west London side Chelsea.