Liverpool, Dec 13
Federico Chiesa and Diogo Jota could return to the Liverpool squad this weekend. The forward pair have not featured at the senior level since September and October respectively, but are now back in training with their teammates.
The Reds continue the campaign by hosting Fulham in the Premier League at Anfield on Saturday, with Chiesa and Jota in contention to be involved.
“I think they are (available). We have one training session to go. Federico missed quite a lot for a long time, was ill last week, so we have to wait and see how he is exactly doing. But maybe Diogo is in the squad and maybe Federico as well, but that depends a bit on the numbers we have and also how he recovered from his illness,” said Arne Slot in the press conference.
Chiesa, one of Italy’s star players in the 2020 European Championship winning campaign, was one of the most sought-after aspects in Europe but a serious knee injury at Juventus saw him leave the Turin-based club and join Liverpool in 2024 for 12 million pound. Since his arrival, Chiesa has started one game and played a cameo in three games but has not played since September 25.
“What makes it difficult is that we play so many games. What he needs is playing time and the problem is if you haven’t played for five or six months it is sometimes difficult for a manager to give him his first minutes, because you don’t exactly know what you can expect.
“Yes, I see him on the training ground, but ideally you see him in a friendly during the week or you see him in an U21 game or something like this – but that is not the situation we have, we play so many games,” added Slot.
With Liverpool leading the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League, minutes can be hard to come by for Chiesa. The Italian forward is unlikely to help his side against Fulham but is expected to start against Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-final on Thursday (IST).
“Maybe the Southampton game might be a good moment for him to get some playing minutes and then we know a bit better what we can expect from him. Of course, we see his qualities, we know his qualities but he needs to get this fitness level.
“If you only have training sessions, that is not the same as playing time. You need to have playing time to reach certain fitness levels. But if you are competing for the league and competing in the Champions League it’s not always easy to find these minutes, unless we are sometimes 4-0 or 5-0 up. ut for the whole season I think it was only once, against Bournemouth at home 3-0 up at half-time, for the rest it’s been a struggle or a fight until the last second of every game,” concluded the Dutch head coach.