Federico Chiesa has just put more pressure on Arne Slot to finally give him a chance - opinion
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Rousing the Kop or go back to LFC Live.
Federico Chiesa has been a high-impact player this season for Liverpool.The Italian, in his brief appearances for the club, has been nothing short of what the Reds have needed this season in terms of energy, passion, and an ability to change the game at a moment’s notice.It is no wonder that Liverpool fans have grown to love Chiesa, with his name sung constantly on the terraces as fans clamour for Arne Slot to give him a real opportunity to start more often.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. The 27-year-old has had five goal contributions in all competitions, with only two of those coming from a starting position in the XI for the League Cup victory over Southampton in September.Why he has not been started by Slot is clearly down to the level of trust and Mohamed Salah’s greatness, even though he has one less contribution than the Egyptian this season.Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty ImagesFederico Chiesa wins Liverpool’s Player of the MonthWhile he is yet to be rewarded with more starts in all competitions, Chiesa has been awarded Standard Chartered’s Player of the Month trophy by the fans for September.He won the public vote by 34% beating out the likes of Alisson Becker and Ryan Gravenberch for the individual award.READ MORE: Federico Chiesa made an interesting piece of Liverpool club history during win over Eintracht FrankfurtThis now puts the manager under much more pressure than before, as his contributions to the team make it undeniable that he deserves a start in this squad.How Slot can look at Chiesa and believe that he cannot be trusted to perform is incredibly unfair, especially given how he performed against Southampton.The star played 90 minutes, registered those two assists, and maintained his energy up until the full-time whistle.If that performance, along with the other contributions he has made to the squad, plus the Player of the Month award, is not enough to get at least one start in this team, then nothing will.Federico Chiesa was not happy at the end of the Crystal Palace game.What shows his mentality perfectly is how he spoke about his late equaliser in the 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace.Speaking to the Liverpool FC website, the player explained that he was not happy by the end because they did not win the game as he sent a message to fans about winning the award.Chiesa said: “I was happy after the Southampton game because we won, but then at Crystal Palace we couldn’t win and we couldn’t even draw.
I wasn’t happy at the end of the game because my goal didn’t count (for anything).“We hope to turn things around in the future. Whatever the minutes are that I’m playing, I try to give my best, I try to help the team, stay positive and try to make an impact.
That’s what I’m here for.“I hope I keep on pushing and keep on giving something back to the fans.”Hopefully, he can make another impactful appearance this weekend against Brentford in the Premier League.