Alexander Isak's slow start to his Liverpool career will look rather familiar to Federico Chiesa following his own plight at Anfield last season
Federico Chiesa and Alexander Isak of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre
Federico Chiesa and Alexander Isak of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre
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When Liverpool last faced PSV Eindhoven back in January, Arne Slot made nine changes for his side’s final league phase match of the Champions League. The Dutchman was afforded such liberties with the Reds already assured of a top two finish, having boasted an 100% winning record from their opening seven matches.
Ahead of their visit to Eindhoven, they were also six points clear at the top of the Premier League table, having lost just one of their opening 22 matches, and contesting the League Cup semi-finals against Tottenham Hotspur.
While they would fall to a 3-2 defeat against PSV, it mattered not. Things were still very rosy for Slot’s side in a season where he led them to the Premier League title.
That loss in his homeland was only the third of the Dutchman’s Liverpool reign, coming in his 35th game in charge.
But fast forward 10 months, starting with that loss to PSV, and Slot has suffered defeat in 16 of his last 41 games - with eight of those coming from just the Reds’ last 11 matches.
When Liverpool last faced PSV it was essentially a dead-rubber, but given their drastic loss of form, their latest encounter with the Eredivisie outfit has now become a must-win as the Reds desperately look to reverse the ongoing rut.
Finding out this season’s Champions League opposition back in August, the visit of PSV to Anfield, on paper at least, was understandably perceived to be Liverpool’s most ‘straight-forward’ game.
And with Slot opting to rotate his hand a little more in Europe this season, off the back of last year’s experience in the revamped competition, it would have been a game earmarked to again make possible changes.
But with the Reds falling to a 3-0 loss at home to Nottingham Forest last time out, Liverpool have never looked more vulnerable. If you were PSV, you would fancy your chances of becoming the latest side to upset Slot’s men.
Admittedly, injuries have not aided the Reds’ cause. With Conor Bradley joining Jeremie Frimpong on the sidelines, Slot was forced to select Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back for Saturday’s defeat to the East Midlands outfit.
But he still prompted raised eyebrows when opting to select Alexander Isak ahead of Hugo Ekitike against the Tricky Trees, having admitted the day before he might have to consider compromising his team selection and start the Swede over players boasting greater match fitness in an effort to get him back up to speed.
Such a gamble did not pay off with the striker putting in another ineffectual display as his slow start to life at Anfield continues.
Withdrawn in the 68th minute for Federico Chiesa, he touched the ball only 14 times during his time on the pitch and registered just one tame shot off target moments before being taken off.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 22: Alexander Isak of Liverpool looks dejected during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Anfield on November 22, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Alexander Isak looks dejected during Liverpool's loss to Nottingham Forest
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Attacking substitutes Ekitike, Chiesa and teenager Rio Ngumoha all made more of an impression during their own time on the pitch, further reiterating Isak’s ongoing struggles.
For comparison, in the Italian’s 22 minutes on the pitch after replacing the Swede, he would register three shots on goal and enjoy 24 touches, play 10 successful passes compared to Isak’s five, and win one aerial battle and two tackles after the man he replaced completed none of either.
Having only just returned after sitting out five games with a groin injury, Isak is paying the price for his lack of a proper pre-season at former club Newcastle United.
Completing a British record £125m move to Liverpool on transfer deadline day, it came at the cost of having spent all summer training on his own after essentially going on strike in a bid to force an exit from the Magpies.
In the end, the 26-year-old got his dream move. But he is yet to recreate his form for Newcastle that earned him his move to Anfield in the first place, having scored just once since signing for the Reds.
Yet his plight should not be that much of a surprise. After all, Liverpool experienced something similar with the first signing of Slot’s reign in Chiesa last summer.
The Italy international was frozen out at former club Juventus after being deemed surplus to requirements and was made to train away from the first team squad before belatedly joining the Reds in an initial £10m move at the end of August.
His first season at Anfield would then be littered with fitness and injury problems as he was limited to just 14 appearances and four starts in all competitions, and only six outings in the Premier League alone.
But after a full pre-season with Liverpool this summer, he has at least made more of an impact for the Reds this term, boasting two goals and three assists from his 13 outings to date.
Starts remain elusive though, with only six of Chiesa’s 27 appearances for the club coming from the off. From such a total, only one came in the Premier League - and even that was after last season’s title was won already, coming away at Brighton & Hove Albion in the penultimate game of the campaign.
Liverpool's Italian forward #14 Federico Chiesa (L) and PSV Eindhoven's Brazilian defender #17 Mauro Junior (R) fight for the ball during the UEFA Champions League, league phase day 8, football match between PSV Eindhoven (NED) and Liverpool FC (ENG) at the the Philips Stadion, in Eindhoven, on January 29, 2025. (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Federico Chiesa was a threat and put in a big shift for Liverpool in their Champions League match at PSV Eindhoven
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One of his rare opportunities last year did actually come against PSV, with the forward making an impact in what was only his second start for the club and ninth appearance after a disrupted first half-season.
He would play a part in both Liverpool goals that night, winning the penalty for Cody Gakpo to open the scoring before seeing Harvey Elliott fire home the rebound for the Reds’ second strike after his own effort was saved.
But whether he is given the opportunity to start again against the Dutch outfit, especially when Ekitike is best-placed to replace Isak if he is benched after his muted display against Forest, remains to be seen.
Chiesa was controversially initially left out of Slot’s Champions League squad back in September, of course, only earning a reprieve thanks to new UEFA rules after Giovanni Leoni suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
Slot has named a different front three for all four of Liverpool’s Champions League games so far this season, with even Mohamed Salah finding himself benched for trips to Galatasaray and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Meanwhile, it was Gakpo who was utilised only as a substitute when the Reds beat Real Madrid at the start of the month. In the pair’s absence, Florian Wirtz and Frimpong have instead been utilised on the flanks.
Chiesa is a more natural option than both, who could both miss out against PSV through injury anyway, but that does not mean he could be given an opportunity to shine.
While Slot’s usage of him remains limited, the Italy national squad are desperate to include him ahead of next year’s World Cup play-offs.
The forward has rejected call-ups from Gennaro Gattuso in each of the past three international breaks, with the AC Milan legend making it clear that it was Chiesa’s own decision on each occasion.
But that has not stopped two Italy World Cup winners from calling for the forward’s return, with the high-regard he is still held in back in his homeland abundantly clear.
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“We have to bring back all the best players. If someone stands out, there’s no preclusion of any kind, also because we need them,” Gianluigi Buffon, Italy’s Delegation Chief, recently told Gazzetta dello Sport. “We’re waiting for Chiesa; there are very few like him in Europe.”
Meanwhile, 1982 World Cup winner Francesco Graziani recently told Tuttosport that the Azzurri need Chiesa back in their ranks to give them the best chance of qualifying for next summer’s World Cup.
“We will qualify for the World Cup, but in this team, there are no champions,” he said. “Even though it’s made of excellent players, we are missing world-class talents such as Del Piero or Totti. Chiesa absolutely needs to be recovered.”
A European champion with Italy back in 2021, it is understandable why he is still valued so highly back in his homeland. Yet at Liverpool, Chiesa remains on the fringes.
Still limited to a bit-part role, and continuing to be linked with a mid-season return to Italy as a result, a penny for his thoughts at such a plight given Isak’s ongoing woes despite his own fitness concerns.
Of course, there is always a big difference between an £125m British record signing and a £10m squad player. But Chiesa can feel aggrieved that he has not been selected more.
When the Champions League draw was made, a home clash with PSV would have stood out as a possible opportunity for rotation. But with the Reds desperate to return to winning ways, Slot must do what he considers best to reverse his side’s flailing fortunes.
It would perhaps be a surprise to see Isak start on Wednesday night, especially off the back of Saturday’s display against Forest. But at least while his form is a concern in the short-term, Slot has always insisted that his record signing was brought in for six years (the length of his contract) - not six months.
In contrast, Chiesa’s own involvement is just as uncertain, with lively cameos not enough to force his way into Slot’s starting XI so far. Their contrasting treatment in similar circumstances could act as something of a reality check for the popular forward.
With the January transfer window looming, club, head coach and player all have plenty to ponder in the weeks ahead should Chiesa, having proven his fitness, remain limited to his bit-part role.
Liverpool can only hope Isak soon follows the same example, but in much swifter fashion, to vindicate his own Anfield move.