Liverpool’s victory at Brentford offered Andoni Iraola three valuable Premier League points. It also left him with fresh questions about the physical demands being placed on his squad, the options available to him and how best to approach the next stage of an increasingly congested schedule.

The head coach’s pre-match press conference ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League meeting with Villarreal was revealing less for any single injury update than for the decisions those absences are forcing upon him.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong will both miss the visit of the Spanish side. Their situations are different, but the consequence is the same: Iraola has fewer options at a time when Liverpool need to maintain momentum across competitions without asking too much of players who are not fully fit.

“I’m thinking of putting the best starting XI possible against Villarreal.

“But maybe it’s not the one everyone is thinking, because some players are not fresh enough.”

It was an admission that selection is no longer simply about identifying Liverpool’s strongest eleven on paper. It is about establishing which players are physically ready to execute the demands of the game, and whether the benefits of continuity outweigh the risks of pushing individuals too far.

Frimpong’s latest setback is the more concerning in terms of the immediate outlook. The right-back suffered a new muscle injury shortly after coming on as a half-time substitute against Brentford, forcing Liverpool to withdraw him after only a few minutes.

Iraola said it would be difficult for Frimpong to return before the November international break, although the club would continue to assess his recovery.

Szoboszlai’s situation is less clear-cut. The midfielder had already missed Liverpool’s previous two matches before being forced off during the first half at Brentford. Iraola said the problem had not worsened and was not a new injury, but appeared to be in the same area as the issue that had kept him out.

The message was one of patience rather than alarm. Szoboszlai was not expected to be sidelined for a particularly long period, but Liverpool need him to recover fully rather than rush him back into action.

Iraola praised the midfielder’s willingness to make himself available for a physically demanding match against Brentford. That determination is valuable, but the episode also illustrates the difficult judgement involved in managing players returning from injury.

Availability is not the same as readiness to withstand the demands of a match. Liverpool must find the point at which a player can contribute without risking another interruption to his season.

The distinction matters because the club have already had to contend with a number of significant absences. Every additional setback narrows the room for manoeuvre, particularly when the calendar offers little opportunity to give the same group of players an extended period of recovery.

Liverpool host Villarreal on Tuesday with the opportunity to build on their opening two victories in the Champions League league phase. The result matters, but so does how Iraola gets there.

The manager made clear that he cannot plan too far ahead. His priority is the next match, and his team must be prepared to compete against a Villarreal side he knows well. Yet his comments about freshness suggest that the selection process will be shaped by the broader schedule as much as by the immediate opposition.

That creates a familiar dilemma for clubs competing on multiple fronts. A manager wants to retain the relationships and rhythm developed by his preferred starting eleven, but those advantages can quickly diminish if players are asked to perform at high intensity without adequate recovery.

Rotation, meanwhile, is not simply a matter of replacing one established starter with another. Different combinations can alter the balance of a team, affecting its pressing, its ability to progress the ball and the connections between midfield and attack.

Liverpool’s challenge is to preserve their identity while making the adjustments their circumstances demand. The injuries to Szoboszlai and Frimpong reduce the choices available, while the condition of other players could influence how aggressively Iraola rotates.

The coach did not present the situation as an excuse. Instead, he framed it as part of the learning process for a team still adapting to the demands of his methods.

“You learn by going through difficulties,”

This comments by the Liverpool head coach was pointing to situations such as using Víctor Muñoz in an unfamiliar position and playing with ten men as experiences that reveal more about a squad.

That is an important distinction. Liverpool cannot control every setback, but they can learn from the situations those setbacks create. The question is whether that learning translates into greater resilience and flexibility over the coming weeks.

There was also a defence of Florian Wirtz, whose performance at Brentford provided one of the weekend’s most encouraging individual developments for Liverpool.

Wirtz created nine chances from open play in the 2-1 victory, a remarkable return that underlined his ability to influence a match when given the opportunity to dictate attacks. Iraola said the German had arrived at Brentford after two very good games and had helped the team both in and out of possession.

“I hope we can keep him at this level.”

Iraola also suggested that Wirtz was being over-analysed and over-scrutinised. That is understandable in the context of a high-profile signing whose performances have attracted intense attention, but the challenge now is to turn a promising display into a consistent contribution.

For Liverpool, the importance of Wirtz’s performance extends beyond the numbers. A player capable of creating chances can help compensate for the absence of other attacking options, provided the team around him can turn that creativity into goals.

The Brentford game offered evidence of what Wirtz can provide. Villarreal represents another opportunity to build on it, against a different opponent and potentially with a different starting combination around him.

Villarreal will arrive at Anfield under the management of Iñigo Pérez, a long-time friend of Iraola’s and a former colleague. The pair played together at Athletic Club, and Iraola later appointed Pérez as his assistant at Rayo Vallecano.

The personal connection adds an interesting dimension to the fixture, but Iraola was clear about the scale of the challenge. He described the game as demanding and said Liverpool would need to reproduce the level they showed against Atlético Madrid if they were to win.

Pérez knows Iraola well, while the Liverpool manager follows Villarreal and is familiar with its players. That knowledge may inform their preparations, but it does not remove the uncertainty of a European match in which the smallest tactical details can prove decisive.

Liverpool have started their Champions League campaign with two wins from two. A third would strengthen that position, but the manner in which they approach the game will be instructive too.

Iraola must decide where freshness is essential, where continuity remains valuable and how to make the most of the players available to him. The injuries to Frimpong and Szoboszlai have made those choices more difficult, while the demands of the schedule mean the issue will not disappear after Tuesday.

The win at Brentford showed Liverpool’s capacity to recover from a difficult position. Villarreal will test a different quality: their ability to manage the physical and tactical demands of another important game when not every member of their preferred team is ready to play.

For Iraola, the best starting eleven may not be the most obvious one. His task is to make sure it is the right one.