Andoni Iraola's Tough Decisions at Liverpool: Chiesa and Endo Out of Champions League Squad
Andoni Iraola has not waited long to draw a hard line at Liverpool.
Before a ball has even been kicked in Europe under his watch, the new manager has made two high-profile casualties of his first Champions League squad: Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo.
Ruthless call in a crowded squad
Liverpool’s 25-man List A for the 2026-27 Champions League was lodged ahead of their opener against Atletico Madrid on September 9. When the names were checked, two established internationals were missing.
This was not a clerical oversight. It was a statement.
UEFA rules allow a maximum of 17 non-locally trained players. Iraola spent those slots aggressively. Record signing Bradley Barcola, a £123 million arrival, is in. So is fellow summer recruit Victor Munoz. Even Hugo Ekitike, currently sidelined with injury, has a place.
Chiesa does not. Endo does not.
The message is brutal in its simplicity: these are not central figures in Iraola’s European plan.
Carragher’s blunt verdict
Jamie Carragher did not bother to soften the edges when he discussed the decision on The Overlap. The former Liverpool defender suggested the pair are effectively surplus to requirements.
“Liverpool have got two players in the squad who are never going to play,” he said. “And there are all these quotas, you can only have 17 players and all that. They have got Chiesa and Endo. It’s like they are never going to kick a ball.”
On Endo, Carragher went further, questioning why the club held on to the Japan international this summer.
“Endo should have been moved on,” he added. “He has done great, a bit of a cult hero.”
Cult status, though, does not win you a Champions League place. Not under a new manager trying to reshape the spine of his team.
Endo and Chiesa on the fringes
The numbers back up the sense of drift.
Endo’s role shrank dramatically last season. The midfielder, once a steady presence, managed only eight Premier League appearances and just one outing in the Champions League. For a player in his thirties, with younger competition arriving, that kind of usage rarely signals a revival.
Chiesa’s story has been different, but no less frustrating. The 28-year-old’s Liverpool career has been repeatedly interrupted by fitness issues. Another muscle problem currently keeps him out, and although this setback is not thought to be long-term, his status is clear.
Even as he edges closer to a return, Iraola has chosen to register long-term absentees Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni ahead of him. That choice cuts through any ambiguity. The Italian is no longer on the inner circle of trust.
Iraola’s vision takes shape
Managers talk about “difficult decisions” every August and September. This feels sharper than that. By prioritising Barcola, Munoz and an injured Ekitike over proven internationals, Iraola has nailed his colours to the mast.
He wants a certain profile of player, a certain intensity, a certain tactical fit. Those who do not match it, or cannot stay fit enough to deliver it, fall away quickly.
For Chiesa and Endo, the path is narrowing. Both are under contract long-term — Chiesa until 2027, Endo until 2028 — but security on paper does not guarantee minutes on the pitch.
Right now, their realistic window lies in domestic cups, the kind of midweek assignments where rotation reigns and reputations can be rebuilt. The league and Europe, at least at the start of this campaign, belong to others.
Tough schedule, tougher realities
Liverpool face Ipswich Town on Friday before the European spotlight swings onto Anfield and the visit of Atletico Madrid. That clash launches a demanding league phase that also sends Iraola’s side to Inter and Fenerbahce.
It is exactly the kind of schedule that tests depth, exposes weaknesses and clarifies hierarchies.
Only an injury crisis, and a permitted adjustment to the Champions League list, looks likely to drag Chiesa or Endo back into continental relevance this season. Until then, they sit on the outside of Iraola’s new Liverpool, waiting to find out whether this is a temporary demotion or the start of the endgame for their Anfield careers.
