Liverpool boss Arne Slot has only used summer signing Federico Chiesa sparingly this season but the Dutchman says that is partly due to the phenomenal form of Mohamed Salah
Arne Slot believes in Federico Chiesa to step up for Liverpool but feels the brilliance of Mo Salah costs him minutes. The Liverpool forward has managed just 387 minutes of football this season for the Reds since his summer move from Juventus.
Chiesa’s start to life on Merseyside was plagued by lack of fitness and niggling injuries but he has been fully fit in recent weeks. The Italy winger showed what he can do with a good finish in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle to get the Reds a late consolation. And Slot insists he does believe in the player despite his lack of time on the pitch, with just 25 minutes of Premier League action.
He said: “It wasn’t only that I didn’t see a lot of him because we had so many games but it was also because he was injured more than he and we wanted.
“It was good to see he impacted the game when he came in. That has happened a lot this season when players came in. Harvey Elliott has impacted the game in the last three or four matches now. It is partly my job and players’ job to stay ready for the moment when we need him.
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“At the moment, he is in competition with Mo Salah and I don’t think you can deny Mo has quite a good season. That makes it sometimes tough for him but we know we can trust him when we need him. Not only him but maybe some of the other ones who haven’t played as much as Mo or Virgil but we can trust them every time we need them.”
Liverpool return to action for the first time since that Carabao Cup final defeat tomorrow when they face Everton at Anfield. They’re looking to maintain their 12-point lead – or maybe even extend it if Arsenal slip up against Fulham – at the top of the Premier League.
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While his players had to head off on international duty, it was a chance for Slot to take a break after a draining period. He said: “The only difference is the first three were after one or two months work, this one was after four months of non-stop work so I like this one the most for the simple reason it was four months in a row.
“It was my first experience of playing in the winter so this one I liked the most, I needed the most as well. But there is no difference between back then and now. If you want to achieve something in the Premier League, in the League Cup, in the FA Cup, you need to compete with the best teams in the world so there is no room for going a gear down, you always have to be on top of your game.
“You have to be there in September, in October, in March and definitely in April and May.”
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