Arne Slot has issued an ‘important’ verdict about Federico Chiesa after his first start for Liverpool.
It seems like Liverpool’s summer acquisition hasn’t stopped smiling since he arrived at the club.
The Italian certainly testified to that on Wednesday night against West Ham as he played with a constant smile on his full Anfield debut and he had plenty of reasons to be cheerful about.
Chiesa’s first start for Liverpool has been a long time coming. He’s been spending a lot of time on the training ground getting himself back to fitness and was finally rewarded for his hard work.
The winger didn’t shy away from the opportunity either. Chiesa made his moments count, including an acrobatic moment to set-up Diogo Jota for the first goal.
READ MORE: Watch all FIVE Liverpool goals vs West Ham United
Despite Chiesa’s lively performance, the Liverpool head coach wasn’t entirely convinced with the Italian based on his post-match comments after the game.
Speaking in his press conference as quoted by Liverpool ECHO journalist Keifer MacDonald, Slot said he didn’t think Chiesa was at the top of his quality, highlighting how important it was for him to get more minutes under his belt.
Slot on Chiesa: “I was pleased that he could already play 60 minutes. It was important to get more match fitness and that’s why he got it today. He assisted…although it was a shot on target that was converted. I think it is normal that he is not at the top of his ability.”
— Keifer MacDonald (@KeiferMacD) September 25, 2024
That verdict is certainly a surprising one from Slot. Chiesa came off in the 60th minute for the Reds and up until that point no one had created more chances than the Italian (3) on the pitch.
🇮🇹 On his full debut for #LFC vs West Ham nobody created more chances (3) than Federico Chiesa while he was on the pitch.
He was also the most fouled player (2).
In the 78 minutes he has played for #LFC in 3 appearances he has made 6 recoveries, competed in 9 duels and had 4… pic.twitter.com/CjYo3bgfxF
— AnfieldIndex (@AnfieldIndex) September 25, 2024
Chiesa also won the most fouls during the time he spent on the pitch and was a constant nuisance.
Perhaps he wasn’t the most involved with just 22 touches in the game, but that’s to be expected from a new attacking player still settling in.
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