Brendan Rodgers stirred controversy last Tuesday when he fielded a blantantly weaker side in Liverpool's trip to Real Madrid. The likes of Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling, Mario Balotelli and Jordan Henderson were all on the bench, while Cristiano Ronaldo, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema all started for Los Blancos.

I mean, Kolo Toure and Fabio Borini started the game...

The irony of course was that Liverpool played a great match, gave Madrid fits at time and lost valliantly 1-0. But still, is what Rodgers did ethical? It's not news that Liverpool has been close to dreadful in the Barclays Premier League, losing to Newcastle and West Ham in recent weeks. This past weekend brought a big game against Chelsea. So, was Rodgers resting his star players?

Rodgers claimed after the game that he picked a side to win the match. While Adam Lallana, Kolo Toure and Lazar Markovic are not awful players, they don't merit a start over say Lovren, Coutinho and Sterling.

The controversy over resting players, however, brings to light an interesting debate and phenomena. Beside the battleground of morals and ethics over resting players for other games or other competitions - yes, I'm talking to you Gregg Popovich - it sheds light on the dual effect of the ever prestigious Champions League. 

For an English team to qualify for the Champions League, it has to finish in the top four of the league table, unless the club's already in the competition and win it, which is what Chelsea did a few years ago. So, in essence as much as teams would like to advance and try and win the trophy, because only one team can win it, chances are you have to qualify through your own league.

So, Liverpool's poor start to the season has drawn many questions as to whether they are good enough to finish in the top four. Chelsea is the alpha dog and Manchester City should be fine. But then there's Arsenal, Tottenham, the new-look Man United, Everton, West Ham and Southampton who have gotten off to great starts. Early standings are never definitive of where clubs actually stand, but it's not like the pending return of star striker Daniel Sturridge will fix everything. 

SEE ALSO: Landon's Last Stand: Staying Alive

However, Liverpool are still in a prime position to control its own destiny and finish second behind Real Madrid, and the Reds will make some serious cash by advancing. So, was that Real Madrid game truly unwinnable?

There is nothing wrong with what Rodgers did, and I believe that he believed that team could get something out of that game, even if all his regular starters could've played. At the same time, one could argue that if he's resting his guys for Real Madrid, deeming it a tough game to win, the same can be said for this upcoming weekend's game against Chelsea, who have been dominant.

More importantly though, to what extent do teams like Liverpool, with no guarantee of qualifying in the top spots in its domestic league, mess around with lineups in order to give itself the best chance to play in the Champions League next year?

Then, how do you sell to your club and fans getting into the Champions League, with no shot to win, only to struggle to qualify again? Liverpool lost Suarez this summer and failed to use that money to vastly improve the quality of its team, very much like Tottenham post-Gareth Bale. 

In the modern world, you have to be in Europe to be taken seriously as a top European club. Manchester United, as the exception, still has taken a lot of stick for missing out this year. Liverpool are one of the great historical European sides (emphasis on historical). To abolish the teasing of being "a team of the past", it's vital for the Reds to stay in Europe for not only relevance, but for the fans and the revenue they'd generate as a club.

Should Liverpool fall outside the top four this year, with Arsenal, City, United, and Chelsea's superior brands to attract players in competition with Liverpool, it may be another long break from Europe for the Scousers. There's no perfect answer from a logical standpoint or an ethical one, but given how easily a team can fall out of Europe for many years Rodgers should absolutely focus on the league. The problem is his team just isn't good enough. 

Reach Staff Reporter Max Holm here. Follow him on Twitter @sherlockholmm.