Even by its usual standards, the most recent international break felt as though it may never end. Finally though, two-and-a-half weeks on from a day at Wembley we’d rather forget, Liverpool is finally back in action today.
And, all being well, this should be the start of something of a victory lap for the Reds. The Premier League title could be just a few games away, and as much as Arsenal will look to push Arne Slot’s side, that gap at the top – now standing at nine points after the Gunners’ win over Fulham – should be too much for Mikel Arteta’s men to overhaul.
So, it’s all looking bright and rosy for Liverpool at the moment, right? Well, not quite. Putting aside the drama of Trent Alexander-Arnold seemingly heading to Real Madrid, Slot may have a tougher job picking his side for the Merseyside derby against Everton than you’d expect for a team on the verge of being crowned champions.
The cost of relying on many of the same players for much of the season was laid bare just before the international break, with defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle ending hopes of a treble and then a double. Slot himself has admitted he probably should have rotated more, and hopefully, he’ll take that lesson into account in the derby.
For as bad as the Reds were at Wembley, there was one ray of hope in a player that fans might be forgiven for forgetting he was even in the squad. Federico Chiesa’s cameo from the bench must have surely put him in contention for a start against Everton, and his chances may have only grown recently, even with no games to mention for Liverpool.
(Image: Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Having missed out on an Italy call-up again, Chiesa wasted no time in getting his training gear on and making sure everyone saw the work he was putting in. Now, back at the AXA Training Centre with his teammates, the signs continue to be promising.
He looked sharp during Monday’s session, displaying the sort of center-forward work that has been sadly lacking recently from Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez. Not only did he show plenty of strength and a quick turn, but his finishing was on point as well.
It may be a little rogue, and probably not what he was brought to the club for, but Chiesa has to start as Liverpool’s No.9 against Everton. Having shown what he can do recently, there must be no other choice for Slot, who has insisted that there are no trust issues with the 27-year-old.
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“[Chiesa] is in competition with Mo Salah and I don’t think you can deny that Mo had quite a good season, so that makes it sometimes tough for him,” Slot said in his press conference on Tuesday.
“But we know we can trust him when we need him. Not only him, but also all of the other ones that maybe haven’t played as much as Mo and Virgil [van Dijk], but we can trust them when we need them.”
So, Chiesa is still firmly within his thoughts, and based on their most recent performances, you’d have to say he deserves a place in the side more than Jota and Nunez. Simply put, Chiesa has to get his chance against Everton.
