Liverpool manager Arne Slot attributed Federico Chiesa’s limited playing time to a lack of summer preparations and the high “intensity” of the Premier League.
The Italy international was signed from Juventus for an initial fee of £10 million at the end of August, well after Liverpool’s pre-season had concluded. Since his arrival, Chiesa has made only one start, which came in a 5-1 Carabao Cup victory over West Ham United, and he has been fit enough to sit on the bench for just two Premier League matches.
Slot confirmed that Chiesa will miss Liverpool’s Champions League match against RB Leipzig on Wednesday night and shared his thoughts on why the former Juventus star has struggled to maintain full fitness.
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“Federico missed an entire pre-season and then entered a league where the intensity might be higher than that of the Italian league,” the manager explained. “That makes it difficult for him to reach the intensity levels that the rest of the squad are at.”
The Dutch coach did not provide a timeline for Chiesa’s return, stating, “It’s difficult to say,” and added, “It’s a big disappointment for him to be in and out of training sessions all the time. I feel sorry for him, but he signed a long-term contract, so we will see what he brings to us. Unfortunately for him, he’s not available at the moment.”
Chiesa was regarded as Juventus’s “prototype champion” when he was recruited under Andrea Pirlo in 2020, eventually signing a permanent deal worth £34 million. The direct winger was a standout performer for the Italian national team at Euro 2020 but suffered a significant cruciate ligament injury in January 2022.
Injuries have plagued Chiesa in recent years, causing him to miss 120 days due to various fitness issues over the last two seasons in Turin. However, Slot emphasized the Premier League’s increased intensity as the primary reason for Chiesa’s absence from the pitch.