Slot explains why Chiesa can’t get in Liverpool team: ‘It’s difficult to give him minutes’ | OneFootball

Liverpool coach Arne Slot has explained why it has been ‘difficult’ to give match-time to Italy international Federico Chiesa since his summer transfer from Juventus, but revealed that he could potentially feature in the Premier League squad for the Reds’ game against Fulham on Saturday afternoon.

Chiesa joined Liverpool in a €15m transfer from Juventus at the end of the summer transfer window, but has since been limited to just 78 minutes of action split across three appearances in three different competitions.

Chiesa has struggled with fitness issues after, having only started in one game since the EUROs almost six months ago, and was recently set back by a bout of illness.

There is a chance that Chiesa makes an appearance in the matchday squad on Saturday, but Slot was unable to give any guarantees. There could also be a more realistic chance of game time in the EFL Cup match against Southampton on Tuesday.

“Federico missed quite a lot for a long time, was ill last week so we have to wait and see exactly how he’s doing. Maybe Diogo (Jota) is in the squad and maybe Federico as well, but that depends a bit on the numbers we have and also how he recovers from his illness,” Slot said when discussing his available players at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Why Chiesa can’t get in the Liverpool team

Italy international Federico Chiesa in training with Liverpool ahead of Champions League League Phase game against Milan.

The Liverpool coach later explained why it has been difficult to give Chiesa minutes in competitive matches.

“What makes it difficult is that we play so many games. What he needs is playing time and the problem is, if you haven’t played for five or six months, it’s sometimes difficult for a manager to give him his first minutes because you don’t know exactly what you can expect.

“Yes, I see him on the training ground, but ideally you see him in a friendly during the week or you see him in an U21 game or something like this, but that is not the situation we have, we play so many games. Maybe the Southampton game might be a good moment for him to get some playing minutes, and then we’ll know a bit better what we can expect from him.”

Though Chiesa has been training over the last few months, that is not the same as playing in some of the most competitive competitions in the world, Slot explained.

“Of course we know his qualities, we see his qualities, but he needs to get his fitness levels. If you only have training sessions, it’s not the same as playing time. You need playing time to reach some fitness levels.

“If you are competing for the league and competing in the Champions League, it’s not always easy to find these minutes, unless we are sometimes four or five-nil up. I think this whole season that’s only happened once.”