Despite winning the Premier League weeks ago, Liverpool still have a couple of games left to play this season.
The Reds have been taking it easy ever since wrapping up the league title in April, even heading out on a team trip to Dubai this week.
Arne Slot was out and about himself, with the Liverpool head coach spotted enjoying himself in Ibiza ahead of Monday’s trip to Brighton.
On Friday, though, Slot was back down to business. Faced with the press at the Liverpool training ground, the Dutch coach was reminded that there are still some motions to go through this season.
In the two games since Liverpool were confirmed as champions, Slot has experimented a little more than usual with his starting XI’s.
With all the changes, though, there has still been no place for forward Federico Chiesa. And with fans and pundits perplexed at Slot’s lack of usage in Chiesa, the Reds boss was asked to explain himself on Friday.
Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Arne Slot explains Federico Chiesa snub
One of the most bizarre things about Liverpool’s season has been Slot’s lack of trust in Chiesa.
Although he’s an experienced and quality player more than proven at the top level, the Italian has not started a single Premier League game this term.
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Asked whether Chiesa will still be given a chance to prove himself with a full pre-season behind him next season, Slot attempted to explain why he has hardly been given a look in since joining.
“In terms of the quality he has he would deserve more playing time at this football club because he has the quality to play for us,” said the 46-year-old. “But unfortunately for him he’s in competition with Mo Salah on the right and Cody Gakpo and Lucho Diaz on the left. I don’t think I’m wrong in saying all three of them have had a great, great, great season.”
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“He was also starting 1-0, or even 2-0 or 3-0 down because he was by a long way not as fit as the other players,” Slot added.
“That doesn’t help in the beginning and by the time he was fit, there was not a lot of reason for me to change and then being in the squad even becomes difficult because Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota are there.
“Is he good enough to play for us? Yes he is. But I’ve always felt that Lucho Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah deserved the confidence I had in them and I hardly ever changed that set-up.”
Will Chiesa stay at Liverpool?
Although Slot did not answer the question directly posed to him, his answer here was still telling.
His reasons for Chiesa’s lack of playing time are hard to argue with, but it also does not explain why the 27-year-old has been involved quite as little as he has.
And that Slot refused to commit to giving Chiesa the time to properly prove himself would suggest that he will not get it.
Indeed, Rousing The Kop understands that Chiesa is highly likely to leave Liverpool this summer.
It would still be nice to see the No. 14 get a Premier League start in the remaining two matches of the campaign, but Slot seems determined not to let that happen.