Federico Chiesa Left Out of Liverpool's Champions League Squad
Federico Chiesa has been dealt another harsh Champions League setback, with the Liverpool winger left out of Andoni Iraola’s squad for the upcoming league phase of the competition.
The Italian forward has been omitted from the European list alongside Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo, a clear sign of the fierce competition now running through a reshaped Liverpool dressing room. For Chiesa, it means another season starting on the outside looking in when it comes to Europe’s biggest stage.
Another European door closes
This is not a new frustration for the former Juventus star. Last season, he also failed to make the initial Champions League squad and only found a way back into the European picture after compatriot Giovanni Leoni suffered a serious long-term injury, forcing a rethink in registration.
Chiesa did at least taste the competition in a Liverpool shirt. He made his debut for the club off the bench in a Champions League tie in Italy in September 2024, shortly after his £10m initial move. That night hinted at a bigger role to come. The reality has been very different. Regular minutes in Europe have stayed out of reach.
Now, with Iraola finalising his list, the door has closed again.
Iraola’s hard calls
Iraola’s decision underlines the ruthlessness required to shape a squad for a deep run across multiple fronts. Registration limits, positional balance, homegrown quotas, dressing-room hierarchy – they all collide when a manager sits down to choose his European group.
Endo’s absence alongside Chiesa shows this is not about reputation alone. Liverpool have undergone extensive restructuring, building depth across the pitch, and that strength brings collateral damage. There are always one or two established names who miss out.
The coaching staff will now lean on the remaining options to carry the load in the Champions League, trusting the depth that pushed Chiesa and Endo out of the frame.
Domestic stage or bust
For Chiesa, the message is brutal but simple: his season, for now, lives in domestic competition and on the training ground. Every session, every league appearance, every cup tie becomes an audition to convince Iraola he cannot be ignored when the next registration window opens.
Liverpool’s calendar offers little breathing space. The club face a relentless run of fixtures, building towards a standout European clash with Inter on January 19. That date will sting for Chiesa: a marquee Champions League night against Italian giants, and he can only watch.
Yet he has seen this script before. Last season, injuries elsewhere eventually cracked the door open and dragged him back into the European fold. If the campaign takes a similar turn, will he be ready to seize that opening, or will this be the year his Liverpool story truly stalls?
