While many people questioned Benitez' team selection against Betis the Liverpool manager says resting players is the key to a successful season.
"Although people talk about the coaches, it's never a battle between managers. It's always about the players. You can work out the best tactical masterplan ever, but you need the players to do the job," he said.
"If you make mistakes in the game or their players are just better than yours, you can do nothing.
"On Tuesday, people said our changes were a good idea after the game. I know if we'd lost, people would say we were crazy to pick the side we did.
"I believe in using all my players and using fresh legs. You have to have a clear idea about the whole season, not just a few games.
"I will have the chance to rest Steven Gerrard this season because of the quality of Sissoko. Last year we had Biscan, who was a good player, but not the same as Sissoko or Gerrard.
"Momo has a similar game to Gerrard so if either or both are playing, I know I'm going to have a midfield which always has a lot of energy and high tempo.
"The success always depends on the players. We used the same approach with Valencia. In one game I rested Baraja and Vicente and we lost at home to Racing Santander. We conceded a goal because my centre-back gave the ball away. The same player made a mistake in the second half and we lost another goal. We lost 2-1 and everyone talked about the error leaving out Baraja and Vicente.
"It wasn't the selection which was wrong, but the mistakes in the match which led to the defeat. At the end of the season when we won the title and UEFA Cup, everyone finally understood the decisions."