Arne Slot admits he feels ‘sorry’ for Liverpool star after latest setback

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has offered an update on new signing Federico Chiesa, who has been limited to just three appearances so far this season due to fitness problems

Arne Slot has admitted he “feels sorry” for Federico Chiesa, with the forward set to miss Liverpool’s Champions League clash against RB Leipzig through injury.

Chiesa joined Liverpool from Juventus in a cut-price deal after he was frozen out by Thiago Motta and Slot has explained that the 26-year-old’s lack of a full pre-season and the step up in intensity of Premier League football have contributed to his fitness problems.

Chiesa has been limited to just three appearances so far this season and the trip to Leipzig will be the fourth consecutive game he has not made Liverpool’s matchday squad due to injury issues.

When asked for an update on the Italy international, Slot said: “I think it is always so difficult with injuries. Especially if it has just happened, to see where they are after a few days. I think after a few days you can say better where they are.

“With Federico it’s a bit more simple, although it is difficult, it is a bit more simple to explain. He missed pre-season, I said this many times, and going to a league that is a higher intensity than Serie A, we just faced two Italian teams so I can say this now.

“That makes it difficult for him to make the step towards the intensity levels to where the rest of the team is at the moment. It has not so much to do with the Italian league or the Premier League but so much to do with him missing the entire pre-season.

“So it is difficult for every player, when the games are constantly there, to build up players to the levels we are at. It’s difficult to say but it is a big disappointment that he is going in and out of the training sessions all the time.

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“So I feel sorry for him but he signed a long-term contract, so we will see what he brings for us. At the moment, unfortunately for us he has been in the team selection one or two times and no more than that.”

Liverpool will also be without Alisson, Diogo Jota, Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott for the match, with those players also sidelined through injury. “Conor Bradley didn’t make the trip, Harvey Elliott didn’t make it, Federico Chiesa didn’t and Alisson didn’t make the trip either, so that means we have a few issues at the moment,” Slot added.

“We all saw Diogo get a knock [against Chelsea ] when he was trying to go towards goal and was brought down, that was not the biggest problem, but the other player fell on to him and that hurt so much that he couldn’t carry on and come with us now.”

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