Arne Slot ‘must trust’ Federico Chiesa at Liverpool after what happened v Newcastle
Federico Chiesa has struggled to impress Arne Slot since moving to Liverpool last summer.
The Italian has featured just 11 times in all competitions since joining the Reds from Juventus in a £12.5million switch.
His 16-minute cameo in the Carabao Cup final loss to Newcastle on Sunday was his first appearance since the embarrassing FA Cup exit to Championship outfit Plymouth (9 March).
Chiesa proves his worth to Slot despite Liverpool loss
Chiesa was a rare positive as the Reds struggled to create valuable chances during the dismal 2-1 defeat to Eddie Howe’s side at Wembley.
However, that changed when Chiesa was brought on and he gave the L4 outfit hope with a well-taken strike in the 94th minute.
In a brief cameo, the Italian offered more than both Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz and showed Slot why he deserves to play a part in the run-in.
Liverpool must use Chiesa to win the Premier League
Chiesa has been hampered by fitness issues throughout the campaign but has featured on the bench in the last seven matches before the final.
Slot needs to put his faith in the Italy international as Jota has no goals in 10 matches, Diaz has one in his last 18 and Darwin Nunez has one in 13 matches, with only Mohamed Salah stepping up to the plate with 11 goals in his last 13 games.
| Stats (their last 10 matches) | Goals | Assists |
| Salah | 7 | 5 |
| Jota | 0 | 1 |
| Diaz | 1 | 2 |
| Nunez | 1 | 1 |
| Chiesa | 2 | 1 |
The Reds need fresh impetus in attack if they are to go on and win the Premier League title and hold off a resurgent Arsenal side, who may have Bukayo Saka back before the end of the season.
Chiesa’s relentless energy, work rate and ability to create chances out of nothing could give them the edge that they need to get over the line in the final two months of the campaign.
He has proved in his small amount of appearances that he can be a difference maker and the fact that he has made the bench regularly, shows that he is fit enough to feature.
Slot must utilise him, otherwise he risks throwing away the Merseysiders’ commanding lead at the summit and ending the season with no silverware.