Arne Slot discusses Federico Chiesa’s issues at Liverpool, sparking ’embarrassment’ in Italy

Federico Chiesa has missed the last four games as he adjusts to life at Liverpool. Arne Slot’s comments regarding Chiesa’s absence have sparked ’embarrassment’ in Italy. The Liverpool manager hopes to have the former Juventus winger back in training before Sunday’s match against Arsenal.

Chiesa was sidelined for the victories over Bologna and Crystal Palace before the international break, as well as the wins against Chelsea and RB Leipzig this week, due to an unspecified injury. Although Liverpool anticipates his return soon, Chiesa has had difficulty fully participating in training with the first team after missing most of the pre-season with his previous club.

Before the match against Leipzig, Slot remarked, “With Federico it’s a bit more simple, although it is difficult, it is a bit more simple to explain. He missed pre-season, I said this many times, and going to a league that is a higher intensity than Serie A, we just faced two Italian teams so I can say this now.”

He added, “That makes it difficult for him to make the step towards the intensity levels to where the rest of the team is at the moment. It has not so much to do with the Italian league or the Premier League but so much to do with him missing the entire pre-season.”

Slot expressed concern about Chiesa’s training situation, saying, “So it is difficult for every player, when the games are constantly there, to build up players to the levels we are at. It’s difficult to say but it is a big disappointment that he is going in and out of the training sessions all the time.”

He concluded, “So I feel sorry for him but he signed a long-term contract, so we will see what he brings for us. At the moment, unfortunately for us he has been in the team selection one or two times and no more than that.”

Chiesa joined Liverpool for £12.5 million from Juventus in late August, and while there were concerns about his injury history, the Italian media is more worried about his ability to adapt to the Premier League’s intensity.

Tuttosport highlighted the situation with the headline “Slap from Slot,” noting that Chiesa’s absence has underscored a broader issue within Italian football. They stated, “It’s now too common to feel embarrassed when comparing the intensity of one of our teams to that of an English, a German, a Spanish or even a French team.”

Reports indicate that Chiesa is working diligently to match the pace of his Liverpool teammates. The Reds will face Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday in a critical Premier League clash.