Dominik Szoboszlai injury update as Andoni Iraola warns of unexpected Villarreal team selection
When Liverpool ground out a dramatic 2-1 victory away at Brentford on Saturday afternoon, the relief across the away end at the Gtech Community Stadium was palpable. Yet as the dust settled on three vital Premier League points, the physical cost paid by Andoni Iraola’s squad began to look dangerously heavy.
The sight of Dominik Szoboszlai limping off before half-time followed just minutes later by last season summer signing Jeremie Frimpong going down after stepping off the bench after just seven minutes has left Kopites sweating on the true depth of Iraola’s squad and defensive flanks.
Addressing reporters ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Villarreal at Anfield, Iraola provided a candid assessment of the double setback, admitting that navigating a brutal, relentless schedule forced him into a high-stakes squad rotation gamble.
Frimpong sidelined until November
The head coach confirmed that while Frimpong’s muscle issue is a brand-new setback, Szoboszlai’s issue is a recurrence of the problem that originally kept him out of matches against Manchester City and LASK.
Speaking on Frimpong’s situation, Iraola conceded it is unlikely the Netherlands international will feature before the upcoming November international window:
“Jeremie Frimpong is obviously a new muscle injury and it happened, I think, in the second or third minute he was playing, difficult to predict and we will have to wait until he recovers. But it's going to be difficult, I think, before the [November international] break. We will try but it's going to be difficult to have him.”
However, the news regarding Hungarian captain Szoboszlai offers a sliver of hope that his absence won't stretch into a prolonged spell on the treatment table.
“Dom, it's not a new injury. It's in the same place; we have to be a bit more patient until he recovers fully. He is more or less in the same situation he was in last week.”
“It's not like something now where he has to wait a lot of time to come back, he is more or less in the same situation he was last week. But we need more patience with him, but I appreciate the effort he did the other day, to be available, to want to contribute in a very difficult game that you know is going to be very physical – [against] one of the most physical teams, Brentford. And to put himself in front and to want to play speaks very well about him, yes.”
With Hugo Ekitiké and Conor Bradley already confirmed as long-term absentees, the squad is being stretched to its absolute limits across multiple competitions.
The one silver lining on the medical horizon remains teenage Italian defender Giovanni Leoni, who is scheduled to return to full training in November after spending more than 12 months on the sidelines with a severe knee injury.
Reflecting on the frantic turnover of fixtures following European and domestic away trips, Iraola did not hide the tactical nightmare facing his staff:
“I think we have a very delicate situation. We were coming from playing Champions League away two days ago, we arrived [home] late at night and probably with not a proper recovery.”
“You are in doubt between the players that have already started two games and are very tired, or the players that are recovering from injuries but you're probably not 100 per cent certain.”
“They were different cases. Dom felt the same injury, it's not a new injury and was probably not healed enough, so we will need more time with him. Jeremie's was new, I think he finished cramping the other day [against LASK].”
Balances & rotation for Villarreal
Reflecting on his opening stretch at Anfield, Iraola admitted the relentless pace of elite management leaves zero room for self-pity.
“I don't even have time to think, it's been a bit of everything, we don't have time to reflect on a lot of things. I came back from Brentford, looking at the Villarreal report. We adapt to the circumstances, it's not just us though, Villarreal too. We have to learn every day and improve, especially improve.”
Looking ahead to Tuesday evening's European night under the Anfield lights, Iraola made it crystal clear that fresh legs will dictate his team selection rather than reputation alone:
“I am thinking of the best XI for Villarreal but maybe it is not the one you think because some are not fresh enough. How can we put a good XI in there with the changes and we know we have a very busy schedule, we have to take it one by one and we take it that way, cannot plan too much because we can get injuries. So we try to focus on how the players recover. It was a demanding game against Brentford, they demand it, so it's important everyone who starts tomorrow feels 100%.”
Liverpool possess the structural quality to weather this storm. It won't be pretty, and Iraola will have to rely heavily on youth like Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha, but if the Reds can navigate this delicate stretch until November, they will stay firmly in the hunt across all competitions.
