Federico Chiesa is still not available for Liverpool and Arne Slot explains that the Italian star needs time to ‘make the step towards the intensity levels of the rest of the team’ after missing a complete pre-season at Juventus.
Chiesa joined Liverpool from Juventus in the final days of the summer transfer window but has only made three appearances for Liverpool this season.
The Italian winger was not on Thiago Motta’s plans in Turin so he didn’t train with the Juventus first team last summer.
Chiesa remains unavailable for Liverpool who visit RB Leipzig in the Champions League Round 3 this evening.
The Reds’ coach, Slot, explained on Tuesday why the Italian is still out of action.
Chiesa injury explained: why Italy star unavailable for Liverpool
“With Federico it’s a bit more simple; although it’s more difficult, but it’s a bit more simple to explain. He missed a complete pre-season, I said this many times, and going to a league where the intensity might even be higher than the Italian league. We just faced the two Italian teams [Milan and Bologna in the Champions League], so I can say this now,” he said, as quoted by Liverpool.com.
“So that makes it difficult for him to make the step towards the intensity levels the rest of the team is at at the moment. That has not so much to do with the Italian league or the Premier League, that has more to do with him missing a complete pre-season and that is so difficult for every player – when the games are constantly there – to build them up towards the levels we are at.
“So, difficult to say, but it’s a big disappointment for him that he is going in and out of the training sessions all the time. I feel sorry for him,” continued the Liverpool coach.
“But he signed a long-term contract so we will see what he brings for us. But at the moment, unfortunately for him, he has been one or two times in the team selection and not more than that.”
Chiesa has provided one assist in three Liverpool games this season.
He hasn’t played for Italy since last summer’s Euros as Luciano Spalletti omitted him from the Azzurri squad for the last four Nations League games, also due to fitness issues.
The 26-year-old scored 47 goals and provided 43 assists in 235 Serie A games for Fiorentina and Juventus.