The week that just got harder

Sunday's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City was painful enough on its own terms, but the injury picture surrounding it makes the week ahead look even more daunting. Liverpool already knew they would be without Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo before a ball was kicked, and then Dominik Szoboszlai was ruled out in the build-up to kick-off. Ryan Gravenberch's controversial red card in the 62nd minute did the rest, and City punished the numerical advantage three times without reply. As a first defeat of the Andoni Iraola era goes, it could hardly have come in more damaging circumstances.

The Reds now face four matches in ten days, beginning with Wednesday's Champions League trip to Austrian Bundesliga champions LASK, before Saturday's Premier League visit to Brentford. The squad that boards the plane to Austria is already stretched thin, and Iraola has been candid about how little recovery time his players have. "We fly to Austria in two days," he said after the City defeat. "So I think it's going to be difficult to recover any of the players."

Who is out, and for how long

Isak and Szoboszlai are both targeting a return for the Brentford fixture on Saturday 17 October, though neither is guaranteed to make it. Isak picked up a thigh injury during the international break after being sent home from Sweden duty, with national team manager Graham Potter describing it as "not a big one" but serious enough to keep him out given the volume of fixtures. Szoboszlai's issue is similarly described as minor, with Iraola using the word "overload" and pointing to the demands of international duty as the root cause. Both absences are frustrating precisely because neither feels like it should be a long one.

Gakpo's situation is more concerning. The forward twisted his ankle following a strong challenge in a Netherlands match, and Dutch journalist Rik Elfrink has reported he will be sidelined for "several weeks". Netherlands head coach Xavi expressed hope that the Liverpool man had avoided serious damage, but Iraola confirmed he was not available for Sunday and that it was "a really bad tackle". There is no firm return date as yet. Gravenberch, meanwhile, is available for Wednesday's Champions League fixture given that Premier League suspensions do not carry over into European competition, but he will serve his one-match ban at Brentford before returning for the home Champions League tie against Villarreal the following Tuesday, with his Premier League comeback pencilled in for the home match against Brighton & Hove Albion on 25 October.

The longer-term picture

Beyond the short-term casualties, Liverpool have three players working their way back from more significant injuries. Italian defender Leoni is hoping to rejoin the main training group around the middle of this month, with a potential return to the matchday squad mooted for the home fixture against Chelsea on 28 October, though that would depend on the green light from the medical staff. Ekitike has been absent since rupturing his Achilles tendon in April and, according to L'Equipe, could return to training next month, with Boxing Day understood to be his long-term target for a playing return.

Of all the names on the list, Conor Bradley feels the furthest from action. The right-back has been out since suffering an ACL injury in January, and Iraola was blunt about his timeline last month: "I think he is not close to training with the team. He's training alone, but he has started touching the ball." Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill has also indicated he does not expect Bradley to be available for November's international matches.

What comes next

Iraola has shown this season that he can manage a thin squad with intelligence, but this is the sternest test of that quality yet. Four matches in ten days, with potentially seven first-team players unavailable, will demand every ounce of depth and flexibility Liverpool possess. How they navigate this stretch could shape the early weeks of their season in a way Sunday's result alone never could.