Steve Nicol tears into ‘Absolute Bust’ Chiesa, shares what Slot will be thinking
Liverpool suffered a rare disappointment on Sunday as they were shocked 1-0 by Championship side Plymouth in the FA Cup fourth round.
Arne Slot made 10 changes to his starting line-up to take on the second-tier side and big-hitters like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk were not even named on the bench.
The Reds had the majority of possession but a penalty in the 53rd minute was the decisive moment of the game which saw the Pilgrims progress.
Federico Chiesa not up to it against Plymouth
One man who came into the Liverpool starting line-up for the FA Cup game against Plymouth was Federico Chiesa who was making just his third start of the campaign.
The boss has come under criticism for the number of changes he made to his line-up, with suggestions that he was disrespecting the competition.
The players that were on the field for Liverpool certainly didn’t cover themselves in glory and Liverpool European Cup winner Steve Nicol did not hold back in his analysis of the game.
Speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol identified Chiesa as a player who fell well below what was expected as he said: “You know the biggest disappointment today? Chiesa.
“I know when Liverpool signed him it was a bit of a gamble because he’d been out injured for so long. But the pedigree the guy’s got, you would expect at least something from him.
“Maybe not scoring goals and all of that, but showing yourself on the field and helping the younger guys, showing your experience. The guy’s got a European winner’s medal. But he’s been an absolute bust today.
“If you’re Slot you’ll be lying in bed thinking, ‘I hope I don’t need him’.”
Federico Chiesa a failed Liverpool experiment
Given Chiesa had faced a long period out on the sidelines through injury before his arrival at Liverpool, as Nicol says, it was always going to be a bit of a risk bringing him to Anfield this term but at around the halfway point in the campaign, it certainly seems as though this is a signing that has not worked out as expected.
The experienced player has made just three appearances for his side in the Premier League this term and that has resulted in just 25 minutes of football as he has continued to suffer with injury, keeping him sidelined.
While the entirety of the Liverpool side underwhelmed in their performances against Plymouth, Chiesa definitely could have shown more leadership on the field as the Reds had plenty of young and inexperienced players involved.
The winger still has plenty of time left on his contract so it will be interesting to see what Slot chooses to do in the summer transfer window.
It could well be that if the 27-year-old is able to get back to full fitness for a prolonged period, he could become an extremely useful player in the squad.
However, if he is going to put himself in the manager’s plans going forward, he will certainly have to show a higher level of performance than he did against the Championship side as he did not show anything that was convincing.