Dominik Szoboszlai injury update as Andoni Iraola warns of unexpected Villarreal team selection
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Yet as the dust settled on three vital Premier League points, the physical cost paid by Andoni Iraola’s squad began to look dangerously heavy.The sight of Dominik Szoboszlai limping off before half-time followed just minutes later by last season summer signing Jeremie Frimpong going down after stepping off the bench after just seven minutes has left Kopites sweating on the true depth of Iraola’s squad and defensive flanks.Addressing reporters ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Villarreal at Anfield, Iraola provided a candid assessment of the double setback, admitting that navigating a brutal, relentless schedule forced him into a high-stakes squad rotation gamble.Frimpong sidelined until NovemberThe head coach confirmed that while Frimpong’s muscle issue is a brand-new setback, Szoboszlai’s issue is a recurrence of the problem that originally kept him out of matches against Manchester City and LASK.Speaking on Frimpong’s situation, Iraola conceded it is unlikely the Netherlands international will feature before the upcoming November international window:“Jeremie Frimpong is obviously a new muscle injury and it happened, I think, in the second or third minute he was playing, difficult to predict and we will have to wait until he recovers. We will try but it's going to be difficult to have him.”However, the news regarding Hungarian captain Szoboszlai offers a sliver of hope that his absence won't stretch into a prolonged spell on the treatment table.“Dom, it's not a new injury.
It's in the same place; we have to be a bit more patient until he recovers fully. But we need more patience with him, but I appreciate the effort he did the other day, to be available, to want to contribute in a very difficult game that you know is going to be very physical – [against] one of the most physical teams, Brentford.
Jeremie's was new, I think he finished cramping the other day [against LASK].”Balances & rotation for VillarrealReflecting on his opening stretch at Anfield, Iraola admitted the relentless pace of elite management leaves zero room for self-pity.“I don't even have time to think, it's been a bit of everything, we don't have time to reflect on a lot of things. How can we put a good XI in there with the changes and we know we have a very busy schedule, we have to take it one by one and we take it that way, cannot plan too much because we can get injuries.