Liverpool have named their squad for the 2026/27 Champions League league phase, and there is no point dressing it up, two senior players have been left behind. Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo are not in Andoni Iraola's List A squad, which means they are unavailable unless changes are made later.
That is the headline. It is also the message. Iraola has looked at his options and decided that, for this part of the campaign, neither player is essential.
Chiesa's omission stands out. He stayed at Anfield this summer despite more uncertainty over his future, hoping to rebuild momentum after a stop-start spell shaped by injuries. He has not featured in the Premier League yet this season because of a minor issue, and with Liverpool short of proven width on the right, there was a route back into the picture. This decision closes that route, at least in Europe.
Endo's situation is less surprising, but no less significant. He has been working back from a pre-season injury and has clearly lost ground. Liverpool have younger legs and, in Iraola's view, better fits for the way he wants the side to play. At 33, Endo now looks like a squad player whose role is shrinking fast.
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If there was any doubt over the manager's priorities, the inclusion of three injured players settles it. Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley have all been named despite currently being unavailable.
That tells you Liverpool expect all three to matter later in the campaign. Leoni is the closest to a return after almost a year out with an ACL injury suffered on his debut last September. The expectation is that he will be back first, with his rehabilitation now in its final phase.
Ekitike and Bradley are on longer timelines. Ekitike has been recovering from the Achilles injury he suffered towards the end of last season, while Bradley has been dealing with a serious knee problem. Both are expected back shortly before the New Year, which clearly made them worth retaining in the European picture.
That is ruthless squad building. You leave out available players because you believe injured ones will offer more when the serious matches arrive.
There are no surprises around some of the younger names. Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni are absent from List A because they can be registered on List B. That is standard practice and gives Liverpool flexibility, particularly with UEFA homegrown rules still requiring balance in the senior group.
The wider shape of the squad is clear enough. Iraola wants mobility, technical security and players he trusts to execute his game model. Chiesa and Endo do not appear to fit that thinking right now.
Liverpool's 25-man squad is: Alisson, Mamardashvili, Woodman, Jaros, Gomez, Van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez, Bradley, Leoni, Tsimikas, Frimpong, Araujo, Chambers, Mabaya, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Munoz, Gravenberch, McConnell, Isak, Gakpo, Ekitike, Barcola.
The schedule does not offer a soft landing. Atletico Madrid come to Anfield next week, then Liverpool head to LASK in October. Villarreal and Fenerbahce follow, before Club Brugge and Porto complete the 2026 portion of the league phase.
Then come Inter Milan and RC Lens in early 2027, fixtures that could shape Liverpool's final position and determine whether this squad management pays off.
There will be debate over Chiesa and Endo, and fairly so. Still, selection decisions are about priorities, not sentiment. Iraola has made his call. He would rather wait for Bradley, Leoni and Ekitike than carry two senior players he does not fully trust for this competition.
That may look harsh. It also looks deliberate.
