Arne Slot confirms truth about Federico Chiesa after forward misses Galatasaray trip

Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa continued his strong run of form at the weekend - scoring his second goal of the season.

Although the 27-year-old’s late equaliser was ultimately not enough to earn the Reds a point - owing to an Eddie Nketiah winner for Crystal Palace - it served a reminder to head coach Arne Slot of the Italian’s capabilities.

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Chiesa hasn’t had the easiest time of things since moving from Juventus in September 2024 for a fee that could reach £12.5m. The winger was injured when he transferred to Anfield and needed a personal “preseason” of his own to get up to speed.

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He was in and out of the squad during his first season - owing to a combination of poor form and injuries. It was expected that he would move on over the summer but he ultimately stayed put and made himself a genuine first-team option.

Chiesa in decent form when fit

Chiesa scored against Bournemouth on matchday one, adding his second strike of the Premier League season against the Eagles at the weekend.

And Liverpool fans were up in arms when it was announced that Chiesa would NOT travel to Turkey for the Champions League league phase match against Galatasaray on Tuesday.

The sentiment seemed to be from supporters that Chiesa could not do much more to win the favour of Arne Slot.

Having been left out of the European squad initially, Chiesa earned a reprieve due to Giovanni Leoni’s devastating injury - replacing his fellow countryman in the UEFA list.

And when he was absent from the travelling party, fans speculated that he may have been harshly demoted once again by Slot.

Arne Slot denies that he dropped Chiesa

Nonetheless the head coach confirmed on Monday that Chiesa had suffered “a niggle” against Palace - and was deemed unfit to travel despite training with his teammates ahead of Gala.

That led to a mass change of appraisal towards Slot’s treatment of the forward - who has become somewhat of a cult hero throughout his time on Merseyside.

He may well be back for the Chelsea game over the weekend - with Slot confirming as much - but this latest absence drives at what could end up being Chiesa’s achilles heel at Liverpool.

Chiesa out injured yet again

Simply put, he misses too many matches.

He was out for almost the entirety of the first half of last season - meaning Mo Salah had no reliable deputy to fill in for him.

Liverpool signed Jeremie Frimpong as a new right-wing option over the course of the summer and it will be up to the Dutchman and Chiesa to cover Salah’s Afcon absence this season.

But unless he can remain fit on a consistent basis - avoiding this little “niggles” then he is destined to be a nearly man under Arne Slot.

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