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Brendan Rodgers did the right thing with his team selection against Bournemouth yesterday.

But let's face it, he didn't really have much choice given the options at his disposal.

I was a bit surprised when I saw how strong Liverpool's team was. But Arsenal did the same the night before in beating Coventry.

Teams are taking the FA Cup a bit more seriously now. And it now represents a real opportunity for the Reds.

Once you get to the last 16, you start to dream of Wembley and I'm sure Rodgers will be thinking his team can do it.

Of the big teams left in the competition, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City are all still in Europe and will have a lot of games to play.

I can't see the fact Rodgers started with so many first-choice players having much impact on the derby on Tuesday.

The FA Cup tie was early on a Saturday and I'm sure Liverpool's players will all have been long tucked up in bed before midnight.

The key issue for Rodgers is that it gave Suarez and Sturridge more game time alongside one another.

The SAS haven't been played together all that much in recent months, and the fact the Reds boss keeps starting with the pair is improving the partnership all the time.

You could see that yesterday, especially for Sturridge's goal. That is what a strike pairing is all about.

Rodgers was clever in other ways by giving Jon Flanagan and Martin Kelly some minutes.

Liverpool FC sidestepped a potential banana skin by easing into the FA Cup fifth round with a comfortable win at Bournemouth - read Ian Doyle's report

With Glen Johnson injured, one of those is likely to play on Tuesday. Kelly still seems a long way off full fitness and sharpness, so I'd imagine Flanagan was in line to play.

But I can't see Victor Moses starting against Everton, no matter how well he played yesterday. Raheem Sterling will come back in, but above all Rodgers will have his fingers crossed Joe Allen can overcome his tight hamstring.

Liverpool won't gain loads of confidence from beating a team like Bournemouth away from home in the FA Cup, but it won't hurt.

They started unconvincingly but in the end it was fairly easy for them. It's not as though their defence was severely tested.

Bournemouth played with just one up front, and beating a Championship side is never a scalp. It was the result that you'd expect.

Liverpool did enough. I was impressed with how Bournemouth played, but Liverpool always had that bit more guile and when you can call on Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, that makes a difference against teams such as the Cherries.

If you play your goalscorers, as Rodgers did, then more often than not you win games like this. Championship defenders just aren't used to facing that sort of quality.

Derby is a must-win game

TUESDAY is a Merseyside derby I believe Liverpool have to win if they are to finish in the top four.

Yes, there are still plenty of games remaining.

But in terms of momentum, confidence and landing a blow on a major rival, this represents a huge opportunity for the Reds.

They have still to play almost all of the top seven at Anfield, a venue that has served them well this season.

And they need to start following the example set by Jose Mourinho.

Whatever you think of his tactics, Mourinho settles for a point on Chelsea’s travels against the top teams and then he looks to beat them all at home, an approach that has thus far paid off handsomely.

So it’s imperative Liverpool win most of their home games if they are to qualify for the Champions League.

This might be a decent time to play Everton. The Blues have had an incredible season but I feel as though it is starting to catch up with them a little bit.

They have started to pick up a few injuries and their performances haven’t quite been as fluid as they were earlier in the campaign, such as their excellent display in the Goodison derby.

Tottenham are Liverpool’s main rivals for fourth purely on the basis of their huge squad, but it won’t hurt for the Reds to put clear daylight between themselves and their neighbours.

Oh, and why is the derby being played on a Tuesday night? That just seems a waste.

One of the best things about the match is build-up. But in reality fans are only going to have three days to concentrate on the game due to it being in midweek.

The derby is in danger of getting a bit lost if the fixture planners continue in this manner.

Only a dressing room cull can stop United slump

PEOPLE are laughing at Manchester United now in much the same way they were 20 years ago at Liverpool.

That’s what happens when a team that has been a dominant force finally starts to fall from its pedestal.

David Moyes is a pal of mine and I’ve had a few conversations with him about the situation there.

But for me, his great problem is that many of his stellar players, such as Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, are all coming to the end of their careers and will most likely be gone in the summer.

United never replaced Paul Scholes, and once the two best players in the squad, world-class talents Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, are missing, too many of the others are just not good enough.

The dressing room needs a cull, but Moyes can’t do that until he brings in new players and that won’t happen until the end of the season.

Juan Mata is a step in the right direction, but that’s not enough.

United need four or five players minimum in the summer, and that represents a big spending spree.

But it’s not just about the football.

United are also about stock markets and making money, so they will know that being outside the top four is hurting them in more ways than one.

I’m still convinced Moyes will get it right at United, but it is going to take time, perhaps more time than anybody may have thought.

Everyone in football knows this isn’t the United of old.

Teams used to have a lap of honour when they won a corner at Old Trafford.

Now they go there thinking they can win the match.

How times have changed.

* GLEN JOHNSON has come in for some stick this season, but it seems we may have had him all wrong.

If, as Brendan Rodgers has stated, he has been playing through the pain barrier for much of the season, then fair play to the right-back.

There are far too many footballers who feel they have to be 100% fit to play. Johnson has put his body on the line for Liverpool, even at the expense of his level of performance.

Amazing video of 10-year-old Luis Suarez on Uruguay's version of kids TV show Fun House - watch it here