I’m delighted Liverpool managed to come away from Brentford with three points, but there is one decision from that game that I keep coming back to.
Why did Liverpool risk Dominik Szoboszlai when he clearly wasn’t fully fit?
I understand why Andoni Iraola wanted him back. Szoboszlai has become one of Liverpool’s most important players, and with Ryan Gravenberch suspended, Liverpool were already short of options in midfield.
But there is a difference between having an important player available and having an important player who is actually ready to play.
Szoboszlai had already missed the Manchester City game and the Champions League trip to LASK with a hamstring problem. He then returned to the starting line-up against Brentford on Saturday, only to last around 32 minutes before being forced off again.
And the most frustrating part?
Iraola has since admitted that the injury probably hadn’t healed enough.
That is what makes this so difficult to understand.
Liverpool knew there was a risk
Before the Manchester City game, Iraola explained that Szoboszlai had returned from international duty with a hamstring overload and had been trying to push through the problem in training.
He wasn’t feeling 100 per cent, so Liverpool left him out.
That seemed sensible to me.
There was no point risking him against City if he wasn’t ready, particularly with a demanding run of fixtures ahead.
Yet, just a few days later, Szoboszlai was back in the starting eleven against Brentford.
I appreciate that players can improve quickly. A minor hamstring problem can settle down, and the medical staff may have believed he was ready to return.
But surely there had to be some concern when a player had missed two matches with a muscle injury and had not been fully fit just days earlier?
The decision was a gamble, and unfortunately it didn’t pay off.
And then he lasted only half an hour
Szoboszlai went down during the first half at the Gtech Community Stadium and needed treatment before being replaced by Trey Nyoni.
He looked visibly frustrated as he left the pitch, and I don’t blame him.
He wants to play. He wants to help Liverpool win matches. He is one of those players who seems willing to push himself for the team.
But sometimes somebody has to protect a player from that instinct.
Being desperate to play doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready to play.
I don’t know what was said between Szoboszlai, the medical staff and Iraola before kick-off. It would be unfair to pretend I know exactly what happened behind the scenes.
But the outcome was precisely what Liverpool would have wanted to avoid: their midfielder returned before the problem had properly settled and suffered a recurrence.
Iraola’s explanation raises even more questions
After the match, Iraola described Liverpool’s fitness situation as delicate.
The team had returned late from Austria following the Champions League game against LASK, leaving little time for recovery before Brentford.
He explained that the decision was between players who had already played a lot and were tired, and players returning from injuries who might not yet be completely ready.
On Szoboszlai, the manager was particularly revealing.
He said:
“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.”
That is the sentence that stands out for me.
If the injury probably hadn’t healed enough, why was he starting?
Perhaps Szoboszlai had made significant progress in training. Perhaps Liverpool felt they had little choice with Gravenberch suspended and the schedule piling up.
Those are understandable considerations, but they don’t remove the concern.
Liverpool needed Szoboszlai for more than 30 minutes against Brentford. They need him fit for the weeks ahead.
Was the pressure to get him back too great?
This is where I think Liverpool need to look carefully at their decision-making.
The fixture schedule is relentless. Liverpool are playing every few days, and Iraola has already spoken about needing to rotate because the squad cannot keep relying on the same players.
But that is exactly why the club must be careful with returning injuries.
If a player isn’t ready, forcing the issue can turn a short absence into a much longer one.
We have seen how quickly Liverpool’s options can disappear. Gravenberch was suspended, while Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak had also been dealing with fitness problems.
I can understand why Iraola wanted as many senior players available as possible.
However, sometimes the best decision is to accept that a player cannot help you this weekend and concentrate on getting him properly fit for the next one.
That is especially true with a hamstring injury. You don’t want a player repeatedly trying to push through discomfort, only to end up back on the treatment table.
Trey Nyoni was there for a reason
One positive from the situation was Nyoni getting another opportunity.
The 19-year-old had impressed in the Champions League against LASK, and he came on unexpectedly to replace Szoboszlai.
Of course, throwing a young midfielder into a Premier League game away from home isn’t ideal. Nyoni is still developing, and we shouldn’t expect him to replace Szoboszlai’s experience and influence overnight.
But this is precisely why Liverpool need to trust their squad.
If Gravenberch is suspended and Szoboszlai isn’t fit, there has to be another plan. Nyoni is one of the players who could benefit from those opportunities, while Mac Allister and other senior midfielders can help carry the responsibility.
I would rather see Liverpool make a difficult selection decision than risk an important player before he is ready.
And let’s not forget that Nyoni had already shown he could handle himself against LASK.
Sometimes you have to trust the alternatives instead of asking an injured player to do a job he isn’t physically ready for.
The three points came at a cost
Liverpool did recover from going behind to beat Brentford 2-1, with Victor Muñoz equalising before Alexander Isak scored the winner.
It was an important victory, and I don’t want to take anything away from the players who fought back to get it.
But the celebrations were tempered by the injury news.
Szoboszlai suffered a recurrence of his hamstring problem, while Jeremie Frimpong also went off shortly after coming on as a substitute. Iraola subsequently indicated that both players would be unavailable for a period of time.
That is a heavy price to pay after one match.
And it leaves Liverpool with even more decisions to make as the fixtures continue to come thick and fast.
Liverpool must learn from this
I’m not blaming Szoboszlai. Not for a second.
He wants to play, and he wants to help Liverpool. That’s the sort of attitude supporters love.
But the club has to make the final decision based on his fitness, not simply his willingness to take part.
If he wasn’t ready, he shouldn’t have started. It’s as simple as that.
Perhaps Liverpool genuinely believed he had recovered sufficiently. If so, the recurrence is an unfortunate setback rather than proof that the decision was reckless.
But Iraola’s own explanation that the problem probably hadn’t healed enough makes it fair to ask whether Liverpool should have waited.
A fit Szoboszlai is far more valuable than 32 minutes from an unfit one.
Liverpool have important matches ahead, and they need their best players available for as much of the season as possible.
The Brentford win was welcome, but it shouldn’t distract from the lesson here.
Sometimes, the bravest decision a manager can make is to leave an important player out.
I just wish Liverpool had made that decision with Szoboszlai.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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