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Arne Slot has revealed why he did not start Federico Chiesa against Accrington Stanley, admitting that was not his plan during the week.
The Italian has struggled for minutes since his summer arrival from Juventus and it was naturally assumed he would be handed a rare start in the FA Cup third-round tie. Instead, there was surprise when the team was announced and a front four of Harvey Elliott, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Rio Ngumoha were selected.
The latter, in particular, was a shock given he is just 16 years old. However, Slot revealed after the 4-0 win that he had planned to start Chiesa instead of Ngumoha ahead of the game and had to abandon those plans late on.
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“Rio was lucky that Federico wasn’t with us in the last two days because he was sick, otherwise Federico would have started, of course. Now he could play 45. We could bring Dom [Szoboszlai] 45 minutes, bring him out and then Federico [in].”
Chiesa made an impressive contribution after his half-time introduction against Accrington, and produced six shots, the second-highest touches in the opposition box and a maiden Liverpool goal to cap the afternoon off. But Slot called for perspective in the wake of the encouraging second-half showing.
“It’s nice to make your debut and if you have played for this club already then you want to score your first goal, especially in front of your own fans. That’s what he did now, so that’s a good next step.
“Let’s not get carried away too much because although I liked the way Accrington Stanley played, a lot, it is in the end a League Two team. But it’s definitely a good next step for him to be available and even score a goal.”
Federico Chiesa scored his first Liverpool goal in the FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley.
Asked if he felt Saturday’s performance could boost Chiesa’s confidence following an injury-plagued start to life at Anfield, Slot replied: “Yeah, that is definitely true.
“But if a player is fit and he doesn’t get the chance to show it, it’s also a frustration. The best part of being a footballer is playing, doing well and winning. If you don’t play because the manager makes a different decision or you’re not available, that is always difficult for every player because every player wants to do what he loves most. Even I would love to play still but unfortunately that is not possible anymore.”
Saturday’s appearance was the fifth of Chiesa’s brief Liverpool career to date, and the first since a 45-minute run out in a Carabao Cup win over Southampton on 18 December. The 27-year-old has not played in the last four Premier League matches or the midweek trip to Tottenham Hotspur.