Arne Slot has hinted that Federico Chiesa could feature in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, with Liverpool’s attacking options somewhat limited for the game against Everton.
The Reds will be without Hugo Ekitike for the foreseeable future after he ruptured his Achilles tendon in the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain this week, the same fixture in which Alexander Isak made his first start since returning from a broken leg at Christmas.
The Swedish marksman lasted just 45 minutes on Tuesday night as he continues to build up his match fitness, and the LFC head coach has indicated that our club-record signing isn’t quite ready for a full game just yet.
In his pre-Merseyside derby press conference this morning, Slot hinted that he could potentially turn to Chiesa to play at centre-forward for some portion of the match against Everton at the weekend, with Isak not yet up to the task of playing the full 90 minutes.
The Liverpool boss said (via liverpoolfc.com): “The best thing [would be] that Hugo was still fit, but if he wasn’t, then if this would have happened then two or three weeks later would have been better because Alex is not ready for 90 yet – depending on the intensity of the game, by the way, because you never know how a game is going to work out.
“He’s getting closer and closer and now we need him, but there are different options to play as a No.9 as well. Federico Chiesa is also one of them so there are different options, but it’s definitely good to have Alex back now Hugo is injured.”
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With Isak not deemed ready to play the full match on Sunday and Jayden Danns also ruled out, Slot will be compelled to deploy a makeshift centre-forward for a portion of the Merseyside derby – could Chiesa be an improbable candidate for that task?
The Italian has played centrally on occasion for Liverpool, but usually a last-gasp substitute – a notable exception was his 77-minute outing against Brighton in the FA Cup in February (Transfermarkt).
The 28-year-old has continued to be at best a bit-part player for the Reds this season, with four of his five starts coming in much-changed line-ups in the domestic cups, and he hasn’t played more than 15 minutes in a Premier League game since the win over Wolves just after Christmas (Transfermarkt).
A cult hero among Kopites, Chiesa hasn’t quite made the impact on the pitch that he’d have been hoping for when he joined from Juventus two years ago.
However, if he’s given the chance on Sunday to write his own Divock Origi moment in Merseyside derby folklore and duly does so, that contribution could go a long way towards Liverpool hopefully securing a Champions League place for next season.
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Slot has never trusted chiesa. Most likely gakpo will play instead. Chiesa will be used as a substitute. Can roughly guess his lineup 4231.
Mamardashvili Frimpong Konate Van disk Robertson Gravenberch Macallister Salah Szoboslai Wirtz Gakpo
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