The decision that raised eyebrows

Andoni Iraola made the right calls in several areas during Liverpool's 6-3 Champions League victory over LASK, resting key figures like Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez and Victor Munoz with one eye firmly on Saturday's trip to Brentford. But one selection left former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock distinctly unimpressed: the decision to start Alisson in goal rather than hand the gloves to Giorgi Mamardashvili.

With the Brazilian carrying a well-documented history of injury problems, Warnock couldn't hide his frustration during his appearance on MOTD: UEFA Champions League. "It's [been] a chance for Barcola to get some minutes in his legs and get a bit sharper, but Iraola's main thinking now must be to rest his key players for Saturday's game at Brentford," he said. "That's the important one, and it's going to be a much bigger test than this. So it's the right thing to do to give [Virgil] Van Dijk a break, but I am not sure why Alisson is playing and risking a potential injury."

It's a fair challenge. Mamardashvili is at the club precisely to share the burden, and a 6-3 win over LASK, however enjoyable, is exactly the kind of fixture where you protect your first-choice goalkeeper. Iraola will no doubt have his reasons, but they weren't immediately obvious.

A packed schedule with players already absent

The timing makes Warnock's concern feel all the more pointed. Liverpool face six matches in the next 21 days, and Iraola himself acknowledged the pressure that kind of density places on a squad. "You don't have a lot of time to train. You try to prepare the games now," the manager said. "Little bit outside but you have to understand the freshness of the players. We are playing four games in 10 days. The more Bradley Barcola plays the better his connections will become."

Barcola, who arrived after pre-season, did his chances no harm whatsoever by helping himself to a hat-trick on the night, with Ronald Araujo, Lewis Koumas and Jeremie Frimpong also on the scoresheet. That was precisely the kind of performance that vindicates his inclusion. But the injury picture elsewhere is already clouded enough without adding unnecessary risk.

Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo are both sidelined after picking up injuries on international duty, and they've been joined in the treatment room by Dominik Szoboszlai, who returned from the Hungary camp with a tight hamstring. On all three, Iraola was cautious: "They are not bad but it's difficult to tell right now. We are taking it day to day. Really the three of them, I don't know if it's going to be Brentford or Villarreal."

What comes next for Liverpool

There were also minor scares during the LASK match itself, with Jeremy Jacquet and Rio Ngumoha both leaving the pitch with knocks, though neither is believed to have suffered a serious problem. Ngumoha appeared to go down with cramp before being withdrawn, which will at least offer some reassurance.

The road ahead is demanding. Brentford, who have made an unbeaten start to their season, arrive first before Villarreal in the Champions League kicks off a run of four consecutive home fixtures. Brighton and Arsenal follow in the Premier League, with a Carabao Cup tie against Chelsea slotted in between. That is a formidable stretch of football, and with the treatment room already showing signs of strain, squad management becomes less of a luxury and more of a necessity.

Whether Iraola's Alisson call proves entirely academic depends on the next few days of training reports. But with that fixture list looming, Liverpool supporters will be keeping a very close eye on the team news ahead of Brentford.