Liverpool Must Cut Their Losses With ‘Quality’ Star After Arne Slot’s Damning Decision

In brief
Liverpool defeated Southampton 3-1 to get closer to winning the Premier League.
Federico Chiesa was not used as a replacement throughout the game, despite six players coming off the bench.
Slot’s initial admiration for Chiesa has given way to scepticism, suggesting that he might have a different destiny.
Liverpool defeated relegation-threatened Southampton 3-1 on Saturday after rallying from behind, marking another successful weekend in their pursuit of a 20th league crown. Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah’s goals were sufficient to solidify their hold on the Premier League title, and Arsenal’s defeat of Manchester United resulted in an extension of their lead at the top.

In what has been an almost flawless rookie season, Arne Slot had yet another flawless gameweek. Despite all of the positive vibes at Anfield, one star who hasn’t performed well this season appeared to have one last nail in the coffin over the weekend.

Many Reds fans were hoping to witness the player that starred at Euro 2020 and helped lead Italy to triumph, Federico Chiesa, who was Slot’s single acquisition during his first transfer window. However, that hasn’t been the case, and his manager’s significant choice this past weekend appears to outline the winger’s potential future.

Liverpool’s £180,000-per-week star is blasted as slot offers a chance to save Anfield’s career.
The 27-year-old has come under fire from Craig Burley following Liverpool’s shocking 1-0 loss to Plymouth Argyle.

Against Southampton, Chiesa was an unutilised substitute.
Despite Liverpool making six substitutions during the match, the Italian remained out of the action.

With a crucial Champions League second leg against Paris Saint-Germain approaching, the Liverpool manager decided to make some changes to his starting lineup against the Saints. But Chiesa started to observe from the dugout, as he has had to do for the majority of the campaign when he has been available.

It would have been reasonable to think that the 27-year-old would get some minutes under his belt in what would probably be a fairly comfortable situation given the level of opposition. The youthful James McConnell was one of only two outfield players who did not receive any minutes, along with the former Juventus player.

It served as a clear reminder of how far Chiesa’s reputation has declined at Anfield, where his development has been hampered by injuries and inconsistent playing time, preventing him from rising to prominence on Merseyside. As of right now, the forward has only made ten appearances across all competitions. He has actually barely played 1% of his potential minutes in the Premier League, which is ridiculously little for a player who makes £180,000 a week.

Slot’s remarks about Chiesa from when he initially signed until January give a completely different impression of the player the Dutchman has at his disposal, which may be more shocking given how quickly his manager seems to have lost faith in him.

Slot’s Change in Tone Towards Chiesa

The former Feyenoord Boss No Longer Speaks in As Glowing Terms

Slot expressed his excitement about the Italian joining the team and his belief that Chiesa might contribute significantly to the team’s success throughout the campaign when he first arrived in August.

The 46-year-old told the Liverpool website, “We are really happy to bring Federico to Liverpool.” “His quality has been obvious for a number of years in both club and international football, so I doubt anyone will need me to reiterate it.

Federico’s age is excellent. He offers skill and experience, but he also has the ability to keep improving, which is something that truly excites us. I have stated throughout the summer that it is difficult to acquire players for Liverpool due to the great calibre of our current roster, but I am convinced that Federico will improve upon what we already have.”

When it became evident in January that Chiesa had adapted as well as first anticipated, Slot’s song took a radical turn, raising questions about the Italian’s potential contribution. On the subject, he stated, according to Football Italia:

Not only has it been challenging for him because of everything you just said—I won’t repeat everything—but he also has to contend with players like Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah, Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, and Cody Gakpo in terms of match fitness.

Therefore, when we discuss Federico’s limited playing time, it’s not only about him; it’s also about the others. He hasn’t played much yet for a number of reasons, but since the second half of the season is much more crucial than the first, let’s wait and see if he can assist us in the next weeks and months.”

Chiesa has now made six appearances, starting twice: once against PSV Eindhoven in a game with minimal significance and once against Plymouth in the FA Cup. It provides a rather definitive response to the kind of role he will play for the rest of the season, and it appears like the Reds could be better off cutting their losses than holding onto a guy who will always be a “what if?”