Andoni Iraola Explains Federico Chiesa Injury and Harvey Elliott Omission at Liverpool

Two absences from Liverpool’s squad for the 2-2 draw at Newcastle drew the obvious questions. Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott were left out, and when players on the margins disappear at this stage of the window, people assume a transfer is around the corner. Sometimes they are right. Sometimes it is simpler than that.

Andoni Iraola gave a clear answer on both cases before Liverpool’s meeting with Nottingham Forest. On Chiesa, the issue is physical. On Elliott, it is selection. Those are different problems, and they carry very different implications.

Federico Chiesa Dealing with Back Issue

Iraola said: “Fede is not available. In the game against Como he felt something in his back.

“With Harvey and some of the players, I can only choose 20. Harvey is trying and improving every week but I still prefer other options, about the balance on the bench.

“That’s why James McConnell was in the squad, but it’s now another new week and new chances for everyone. They have to keep that mentality.”

That settles Chiesa, at least for now. Injury explains the omission, and it explains why he is also unavailable for the Forest game. There is no need to dress it up. He has a back problem, and until he is fit, the conversation goes nowhere.

His Liverpool career has never gathered any real momentum. Two Premier League starts in two years tells its own story. Availability matters, output matters, trust matters. If one of those is missing, a player is already fighting an uphill battle. If all three are in question, it gets difficult very quickly.

Harvey Elliott Facing Selection Reality

Elliott is a more awkward case. He is fit, he is training, and he is still outside the 20. Iraola did not hide behind vague language. He said he prefers other options. That is direct, and it should be read exactly as it sounds.

Managers pick squads based on need, shape and balance. Elliott is competing for places in a team that clearly wants specific profiles on the bench. James McConnell got the nod because Iraola felt he offered something more useful for that particular matchday setup. Brutal, maybe, but football squads are built on those decisions.

Elliott, now 23, does not have endless time to wait. Last season gave him little traction, and this one has started the same way. If a player is entering the final year of his contract and hearing that other options are preferred, the situation becomes very straightforward. Liverpool either see a role for him soon, or a sale before the deadline becomes a logical outcome.

Nottingham Forest Team Sheet Will Be Telling

The next squad list matters. A place on the bench against Nottingham Forest would not solve everything, but it would at least show Elliott remains in the immediate picture. Another omission would sharpen the sense that his future lies elsewhere.

As for Chiesa, fitness comes first. For Elliott, the issue is harsher. He is available, and right now that still is not enough.