- The winger has been limited to just 105 minutes in four appearances.
- Slot says there are no guarantees the 27-year-old will start against Accrington
- Hear It's all starting! Why Manchester United might have to sell Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho
Arne Slot warned Federico Chiesa that there is no guarantee of early chances and outlined the magnitude of the task facing his Italian striker.
Chiesa was the only signing Liverpool made last summer who immediately joined the squad, but things have not gone to plan for him since arriving on Merseyside; In fact, there has already been a lot of talk in Italy that he could return to Serie A during this window.
Liverpool head coach Slot has praised the qualities of Chiesa, who cost £10.6m when he arrived from Juventus in August, but a combination of factors means he has been limited to just 105 minutes on the pitch. in four appearances.
Many will have seen the FA Cup third round match against Accrington Stanley as the perfect time for Chiesa to start, but Slot, who is considering adding highly regarded youngsters Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumha to his squad, has warned that no assumptions should be made.
Given the 27-year-old's natural position, which is to come in on the right side of the attack, the obstacle Mo Salah places before him is enormous and Slot pointed to the Egyptian as an example of the standards to which Chiesa should aspire.
“Every game is an opportunity for every player to get some playing time,” said Slot, who hopes to have Jarrell Quansah available after he was withdrawn in the loss to Tottenham on Wednesday after feeling the lingering effects of an illness. .
Arne Slot has warned Federico Chiesa that there is no guarantee of starting opportunities
Slot says there are no guarantees Federico Chiesa will start against Accrington Stanley
“Not only has everything you just said been difficult for (Chiesa) in terms of physical preparation for the match, but he also has to compete with players like Cody Gakpo, Luis Díaz, Diogo Jota, Darwin Núñez and Mo Salah. – and here everyone knows the numbers that Mo contributes.
'There aren't many occasions or reasons to take out Mo during a game or before a game. He is also very fit. I have said many times before that he was the fittest player who returned for pre-season and he does everything he can every day to stay fit and wants to play every game.
Emphasizing this point, Slot continued: 'He shows up in every game. So it's not just about Federico when we talk about his limited playing time. It's also about others. But in terms of Federico, he has to deal with the way he came to the end of the preseason.
“The rest were already training a lot, so we had to improve their fitness for the match. It's a combination of reasons why he didn't play much, but let's wait and see in the coming weeks and months if he can help us; the second half of season is even more important than the first.”
On the potential of Nyoni and Ngumha's involvement, Slot said: “Trey has been in the team many times already, I think Rio was once, away from Southampton, but these players are doing very well and they do well when They play with the lower ones -21s.
“So, as long as they keep doing that, the chances of them getting their moment in the first team will of course increase.”