Liverpool Suffer New Federico Chiesa Setback as Arne Slot Does Not Get What He’d Prefer

Federico Chiesa has faced challenges in achieving full match fitness since joining Liverpool. His start at the club has been somewhat slow and tentative.

After arriving from Juventus on the second-to-last day of the summer transfer window, Chiesa’s career at Anfield has seen a gradual beginning. His lack of match fitness at the time of signing made this an expected scenario.

Liverpool managed to secure Chiesa for a bargain price of £10 million, as he had been excluded from Juventus’ plans. This lack of game time impacted his sharpness, and Liverpool’s main objective was to restore him to a fitness level suitable for Premier League football.

To date, Chiesa has made three appearances for Liverpool. He came off the bench twice before making his full debut in a 5-1 Carabao Cup victory over West Ham.

That performance likely felt like a significant moment for Chiesa, as it seemed to mark the start of his more consistent involvement in manager Arne Slot’s plans.

However, an injury in training caused Chiesa to miss Liverpool’s subsequent victories against Bologna and Crystal Palace just before the second international break of the season. This setback may have also cost him a spot in the Italy national team.

The previous month, Chiesa was left out of the Azzurri squad. Italy’s manager, Luciano Spalletti, wisely decided that it would be best for the former Fiorentina winger to use the break to settle into his new environment and improve his fitness.

While Italy is undergoing a rebuilding phase following their exit from Euro 2024 in the Round of 16, Chiesa remains in Spalletti’s plans alongside Napoli’s Matteo Politano.

“We have decided to rejuvenate the team as much as we can, but these two are still of an accessible age and they are also in our thoughts,” Spalletti said recently.

“We have to be careful, because we rely more on the two strikers after changing the way we play. (We need) players who know how to do a bit of everything on the pitch, showing the willingness to take on the responsibility of multiple roles as well.”

Chiesa’s injury has ruled him out of the Nations League matches against Belgium and Israel. He will remain in Merseyside, which may be seen as a setback for Liverpool.

Joining the Italian squad would have given Chiesa the opportunity to train consistently and possibly gain match minutes in the two games.

Meanwhile, Slot believes Darwin Nunez will benefit from traveling to South America, as his international ban has been lifted, allowing him to play for Uruguay.

Nunez has had limited involvement at Liverpool this season, and playing for La Celeste will provide him with valuable game time.

Before Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Saturday, Slot commented on Nunez’s availability for Uruguay.

“I would have preferred him to go because I think it is always good for a player to go to his national team. They like to see their team-mates again.

“He would have probably played two games, at least one, but I think both because he is a starter over there and, like you guys are telling me constantly, he hasn’t started that much over here. It would have been good for him to get some playing time there.”

Chiesa was always expected to be a peripheral figure this season. The right-wing position in Liverpool’s starting eleven is firmly held by Mo Salah. Meanwhile, on the left, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo have started strong and are competing for the spot.

However, when the season resumes, Liverpool will face several tough tests, with Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Bayer Leverkusen on the horizon.

While Slot would have preferred his whole squad to be fully prepared, Chiesa might still be working toward reaching his peak form.

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