Liverpool’s 6-3 victory over LASK offered the sort of attacking release that Andoni Iraola’s team needed after their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick, Florian Wirtz helped unlock the Austrian side and Liverpool’s younger players took their opportunities.

But the scoreline also came with a warning. Liverpool conceded three times in the closing stages, turning what had been a comfortable European evening into a reminder that attacking fluency and control are not necessarily the same thing.

Brentford should provide a rather different examination on Saturday. Keith Andrews’ side have started the Premier League season unbeaten, collecting two wins and four draws from their opening six games. They are fourth, one point above Liverpool, and will see this as an opportunity to reinforce their place among the early challengers for European qualification.

For Iraola, the task is to ensure that Wednesday’s attacking promise survives the transition back to domestic football.

Liverpool found room to hurt LASK, with Barcola’s movement and the combinations around Wirtz giving the visitors repeated routes into dangerous areas. The hat-trick was a significant personal milestone, but the broader encouragement came from the number of players capable of contributing to the attack.

Brentford are unlikely to offer the same spaces so readily. Their unbeaten start has been built on resilience as well as attacking variety, and they arrive at the Gtech Community Stadium having drawn 2-2 at Aston Villa last weekend.

Liverpool must therefore be prepared to work for their openings rather than assume that the momentum from Austria will carry over. The quality of their possession will matter, but so will what happens when that possession breaks down.

Against Manchester City, Liverpool were unable to prevent the game from turning against them after Ryan Gravenberch’s dismissal. His suspension removes a key midfield option for the trip to west London, forcing Iraola to consider how best to balance progression with defensive security.

The absence matters beyond the question of who starts. Liverpool need a midfield capable of supporting their attacking players without leaving too much space behind the ball. Against a Brentford side willing to compete physically and attack opportunities in transition, that balance could determine the shape of the game.

Iraola has already acknowledged the need to rotate during a demanding run of fixtures. Liverpool made four changes for the LASK match and face Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday, leaving the head coach with decisions to make over both personnel and workload.

The midfield is the most immediate concern. Gravenberch is suspended, while Dominik Szoboszlai remains a fitness doubt after a hamstring problem. Alexis Mac Allister was rested in midweek and offers an experienced option, but the composition of the midfield will depend on which players are available and how much risk Iraola is willing to take.

There are similar questions in attack. Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo have been working back from injuries, while Hugo Ekitike remains sidelined with an Achilles injury. Lewis Koumas took his opportunity against LASK, scoring his first Champions League goal, and Barcola’s European performance has strengthened his case for another start.

Liverpool have options, but their absences make the decisions more consequential. A team that has recently struggled for consistency cannot afford to treat rotation as a simple exercise in replacing one player with another. The roles around those changes matter just as much as the names on the teamsheet.

Barcola’s hat-trick was the headline from Austria, but Liverpool will need more than an individual scoring performance to break down Brentford. The relationship between their wide forwards and Wirtz could be central to creating openings, particularly if the hosts remain compact and force Liverpool to find solutions in crowded areas.

Wirtz has shown flashes of the creativity that made him such an influential player in Germany. The challenge now is to turn those moments into sustained influence in the Premier League, where opponents can deny him time and space and demand that he contribute when Liverpool do not have the ball.

Brentford offer a useful test of that adaptation. Liverpool will need their attacking midfielders to find pockets of space, combine quickly and make intelligent decisions when the direct route is blocked. Barcola’s movement can stretch a defence, while Wirtz’s ability to operate between the lines could help Liverpool turn territorial possession into meaningful chances.

There is a defensive dimension, too. Liverpool’s forward players must be prepared to react when possession is lost, helping prevent Brentford from building attacks before the visitors can recover their shape.

The late goals conceded against LASK should not be treated as proof of a wider defensive crisis, but neither should they be dismissed because Liverpool scored six. The more useful question is whether Iraola’s side can maintain their concentration and structure when the game becomes uncomfortable.

Liverpool travel to Brentford with an opportunity to move above their opponents and give their season a more positive direction after the setback against City. A convincing performance would matter as much as the result: the team need to show that they can impose themselves in a demanding away fixture without relying on the game opening up.

Brentford’s unbeaten start makes them a credible test of that ambition. They have shown they can remain competitive against strong opposition, while Liverpool are still searching for the consistency that turns promising passages of play into reliable performances.

The six goals in Austria were encouraging, particularly for Barcola and Liverpool’s younger players. But the next step is to demonstrate that the attacking confidence can coexist with midfield control, defensive discipline and patience.

If Liverpool manage that, the LASK victory will have been more than a welcome European result. If they do not, the three goals conceded late in Austria may look less like an isolated lapse and more like a warning they failed to heed.