Chiesa Left Out of Liverpool's Champions League Squad

Federico Chiesa’s Liverpool story was meant to be written under the bright lights of Europe. For now, the curtain has been pulled shut.

The Italian winger has been left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad for the upcoming league phase, a stark call from manager Andoni Iraola that underlines both the club’s depth and the brutal reality of elite competition. Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo has also been omitted as Iraola finalised his European list.

For Chiesa, it stings. Again.

A Familiar Frustration

This is not a new wound, more an old scar reopened. Last season, Chiesa also missed out on the initial Champions League registration. He only found a way back into the European frame when Giovanni Leoni suffered a severe long-term injury, forcing a reshuffle and handing the former Juventus man a late route into the squad.

Even then, his involvement was fleeting. He made his Liverpool debut off the bench in a Champions League tie in Italy in September 2024 after his £10m move, a cameo that looked like the start of something bigger. Instead, continental minutes have remained rationed, his role reduced to that of a supporting act in a competition he once threatened to light up.

Now, as Liverpool step into another demanding European campaign, his name is missing once more.

Iraola’s Ruthless Call

Iraola’s decision is a snapshot of the current Liverpool dressing room: crowded, competitive, and unforgiving. A period of heavy squad restructuring has left the manager with options in almost every position, but UEFA’s registration rules allow no sentiment.

Places are limited. Profiles must balance. Some players lose out.

Chiesa and Endo are among them, sacrificed on the altar of squad geometry as Liverpool attempt to spread quality across multiple fronts. The coaching staff will lean on the remaining European group to carry the load through the league phase of the Champions League, trusting that the depth still available is enough to withstand the intensity of the tournament.

For those left outside the European bubble, the message is clear: prove you should never be omitted again.

Domestic Stage or Nothing

With the Champions League door closed for now, Chiesa’s season narrows in focus. His path runs through the training ground, through the Premier League, through domestic cups. Every session, every appearance becomes an argument in his favour.

Liverpool’s schedule offers no hiding place. The club faces a packed calendar, with domestic and international demands stacking up as winter approaches. At the heart of that run sits a standout date: a high-profile Champions League clash with Inter on January 19, a meeting with one of Italy’s giants that Chiesa will watch from the outside unless circumstances change.

The irony is sharp. An Italian international, signed from Juventus, missing a marquee European night against Italian opposition while wearing Liverpool red.

Waiting for the Door to Open

Last season showed how quickly fortunes can turn. An injury to Leoni created a vacancy; Chiesa stepped through it. The same scenario could yet unfold. A squad competing on several fronts is always one bad scan away from a rethink.

If injuries strike, if form dips, if Iraola needs a different weapon in attack, the Italian’s name will come back into the conversation. He has already shown he can adapt to a new league, already tasted Champions League football in Liverpool colours, however briefly.

For now, though, the reality is stark. Europe will go on without him in the early months of this campaign.

What Chiesa does in the meantime will decide whether that remains the story of his Liverpool career, or just the difficult chapter that came before a genuine breakthrough.