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Liverpool Injury News: Iraola Leaves Door Open for Szoboszlai, Isak and Gakpo to Return Against Brentford
Liverpool travel to Brentford for a tough away game with a stretched squad, a depleted midfield and an attack still missing key players. The one positive is that Andoni Iraola hasn’t ruled out Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, though he is careful not to promise anything.
Why it matters
Liverpool looked short of firepower in the 3-0 loss to Manchester City, which showed the cost of losing three frontline options at once. All three were missing again in midweek, when Liverpool won 6-3 against LASK Linz in the Champions League. Ahead of Brentford, though, Iraola’s tone was noticeably more open.
Iraola said: “It’s early for us to say, we still have to train tomorrow.
“Obviously they were not ready for yesterday night, so we have to wait and see. I think it is still very early but, the same way I said that they were not available for the previous games, I leave the chance open this time, yes.”
The three injuries
The timing of the setbacks has been awkward. Isak (thigh) and Gakpo (ankle) were hurt on international duty. Szoboszlai’s situation is more annoying for Liverpool: he returned from Hungary duty looking fit, then sat out the City game with a hamstring problem.
Brentford may therefore face a Liverpool side still lacking one of their most important midfielders and two key attackers. Iraola is balancing optimism and realism, which is reasonable: there’s no sense claiming players are ready when they aren’t, or writing them off before one more training session.
Midfield worries
If Szoboszlai misses out, Liverpool’s midfield problem gets worse, because Ryan Gravenberch is suspended after being sent off against City for two yellow cards. That removes another senior option from an area already lacking certainty.
Trey Nyoni, who started alongside Gravenberch against LASK while Alexis Mac Allister was kept in reserve, could step in again. With games every few days, Iraola is open about the strain, and Liverpool are making changes out of necessity rather than choice.
He said: “Yes, especially in this period where we are basically playing every three days.
“You need more players, and that’s why we changed the team a little bit yesterday.
“We will need to change again at the weekend, we will need to change again when we face Villarreal next Tuesday night.
“We will need everyone, in one moment or another. Everyone has to be ready because we will need them probably.”
Young players stepping up
There is some encouragement in how the younger players are coping. Nyoni has shown composure with added responsibility, and Lewis Koumas is getting real minutes because the situation demands it. That is how squad depth gets tested: sometimes it holds up, sometimes it reveals the gap between potential and proven quality.
Iraola was positive about Nyoni: “Trey is a player who is very young, he is very mature, he understands the game very well, he is tactically smart and he has to continue going in this direction.
“He has been involved a lot and he has to keep this level up, be a No6 or an 8, he has to put pressure on the other midfielders. It’s good he can perform in the Champions League.”
On Koumas, he said: “He deserves the minutes. We are using him more because Isak is injured but if I wasn’t comfortable then I have other options.
“He knows he is ready to learn and be the best player he can be. He had a lovely moment yesterday, two goals disallowed and finally scoring the third one. A lovely moment for him.”
Selection still undecided
The situation is straightforward for now: Brentford may come too soon for Szoboszlai, Isak and Gakpo, but none are ruled out. In a crowded run of league and European games, that is enough for Iraola to keep his options open, and enough for Brentford to prepare for more than one version of Liverpool.
That uncertainty works in Liverpool’s favor, and they need it. With suspensions, injuries and a heavy schedule, they have little room for error.
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