WITH Rafael Benítez, it is always about “the big picture”, which is why he would discourage any hasty conclusions about a judgment that has been seldom wide of the mark during his first two years as Liverpool manager.

Even now, though, with a European Cup and an FA Cup to his name, there are times when he attracts the kind of suspicion directed at Claudio Ranieri by adhering to a rotation policy so intense that it must be leaving his players in a spin.

Last night was one such occasion as he put his name to another team selection that looked mysterious on first inspection and, while a draw away from home in the Champions League is not to be sniffed at, it was hard to make a persuasive argument that six changes after the wretched Merseyside derby defeat by Everton, which included the omission of Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso, had been any kind of masterstroke.

As a disappointing match entered its final minute, with PSV Eindhoven finally having settled for a draw, Gerrard, on as a late substitute, looked up and lashed a bouncing ball against the inside of a post from 25 yards. Had that shot gone in, would it have vindicated Benítez’s original selection or demonstrated its folly? That is difficult to answer, just like another question going through the minds of the Liverpool supporters last night — the one about whether Benítez is too clever by half.

Benítez is inviting such interrogation by embracing squad rotation with a fervour like no other manager in the English game, but he maintains that the end results will justify the means. “Always I talk about a long race,” he said, denying that some of his selections over the past week had been made with Sunday’s visit to Chelsea in mind. “I’m not talking about one game or two games. We have possibilities to use different players for different games. For me, that is much better.”

It is uncertain whether his players share that view. Gerrard laughed his way through a captivating game of one-touch football with Alonso and their fellow substitutes during the warm-up but he is known to have difficulty in sharing his manager’s belief that he is incapable of playing four games in a fortnight.

Craig Bellamy was upset by his absence from the squad for the Merseyside derby — how much so remains a matter of conflicting rumour — but his response was as Benítez would have wished, his frustration channelled in all the right directions in an encouraging first-half display as he led the Liverpool charge in a manner that ensured that his selection, at least, was a change for the better.

It was one of those typical Champions League encounters, much of it played on the counter-attack with Liverpool eager to exploit the pace of Bellamy and PSV doing likewise with Arouna Koné and Jefferson Farfán. Koné was a threat, tearing through the visiting defence and shooting against the Liverpool crossbar after a loose pass from Mohammed Sissoko in the ninth minute, but that was PSV’s only clear opening in the first half.

With Daniel Agger looking comfortable alongside Jamie Carragher in defence, José Manuel Reina, the Liverpool goalkeeper, was not tested until an ambitious effort from Ibrahim Affelay had him diving to his right.

There was encouragement for Liverpool, with Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt increasingly to the fore and Agger making a case for his permanent inclusion ahead of Sami Hyypia in a defence that was unbeaten for the first time this season, but such promise was not matched throughout the team. Fabio Aurélio offered another uninspiring performance, almost playing into the hands of Jan Kromkamp, whose defensive qualities, never evident during his brief spell at Anfield, were not seriously examined.

Nor was there an abundance of quality in central midfield, where the absence of Gerrard and Alonso meant that keeping possession was not a routine task. That, presumably, was the thinking behind Sissoko being replaced by Alonso on the hour, with the Liverpool defenders beginning to crave breathing space after Koné strode through unchallenged and hit a weak shot at Reina, then the impressive Edison Mendez sent a long-distance shot narrowly wide of the goalkeeper’s right-hand post.

Alonso’s introduction delivered a composure that had been lacking, with Kuyt striking the foot of a post from distance moments later, but Gerrard came closest as the clock ticked down.

Ronald Koeman, the PSV coach, breathed a sigh of relief and admitted that he had been surprised at Gerrard and Alonso not starting the game. With Benítez, though, the only true surprise would be if there were no surprises.

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PSV EINDHOVEN (4-2-3-1): H Gomes — J Kromkamp, Alex, C Salcido, M Reiziger — T Simons, E Mendez — I Afellay (sub: M Varynen, 74min), J Farfán, J Culina (sub: I Aissati, 62) — A Koné. Substitutes not used: E Addo, M Da Costa, M Lamey, P Kluivert, O Moens.

LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): J M Reina — S Finnan, J Carragher, D Agger, S Warnock — J Pennant, M Sissoko (sub: X Alonso, 61), B Zenden, F Aurélio (sub: M González, 82) — C Bellamy (sub: S Gerrard, 72), D Kuyt. Substitutes not used: J Dudek, S Hyypia, L García, P Crouch.

Referee: M Busacca (Switzerland).