Federico Chiesa plays a hero
Liverpool seem to have found a new hero. Federico Chiesa quickly took the spot at Anfield, despite playing just 104 minutes in the Premier League last season after joining Juventus for £12 million.
tireless efforts and calm personality helped the Italian national team conquer the hearts of fans. The lack of opportunities from manager Arne Slot has made the prospect of Chiesa leaving Anfield this summer inevitable.
However, with a beautiful volley in the 88th minute against Bournemouth, Chiesa may have re-written his Liverpool career. In the context of the reigning Premier League champions losing the advantage of a two-goal lead and needing great inspiration, the Italian national team shined just 6 minutes after coming off the bench.
The 27-year-old's future will certainly be a hot topic of discussion in the coming weeks. But if he continues to be with Liverpool, Chiesa has shown that he is capable of becoming an important factor this season.
"As long as he is here, his future will definitely be with Liverpool. I have no reason to think that will change. Federico Chiesa has had a difficult season, struggling with fitness and even missing the Asian tour with the whole team.
But today, when we needed him at a sensitive time, he responded. That is a very positive signal for the future," said Arne Slot.
Szoboszlai creates problems in Liverpool's midfield
Arne Slot is facing a difficult problem in Liverpool's midfield. The solution seems to be there, but the over-focus on adding an attack in the summer makes waiting for Ryan Gravenberch to return not easy.
With the Dutch international absent due to suspension, Arne Slot was forced to let Dominik Szoboszlai side with Alexis Mac Allister in midfield, right behind the attack quartet of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah.
The problem with this choice quickly emerged when Szoboszlai spent more time on the attack than on defensive support, leaving Mac Allister alone to carry the midfield.
Bringing Gravenberch back to replace Szoboszlai may help balance, but it means Liverpool must reduce their attacking firepower. This is clearly against the club's orientation in the summer of 2025.
Instead of reinforcing the midfield, The Kop are still focusing on adding the spearhead of the attack, with Newcastle's Alexander Isak considered the number one target.
Isak's arrival, if it becomes a reality, will only make Liverpool stronger in scoring. Isak, by contrast, could not solve the gaps in midfield.
This means that Arne Slot's team may explode in terms of goals, but the risk of conceding as many goals is also an inevitable reality.
Hugo Ekitike and his immediate mark
Most of the attention for Liverpool this summer has revolved around pursuing Newcastle striker Isak.
However, right in the opening match of the Premier League, Hugo Ekitike showed that he has no intention of becoming "option B", regardless of what The Kop does from now until the transfer market closes.
The 22-year-old, who joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt for £69 million, had a dream start at Anfield when he opened the scoring against Bournemouth.
Impressive form in the first half, combined with the ability to disrupt the opponent's defense and the incredible understanding with new teammates, made Ekitike quickly win the hearts of fans.
After a busy summer, Liverpool became the first champions to launch to 4 new players in the Premier League opening day starting lineup (Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz). Of course, none of these have played the full 90 minutes, and that shows that the new squad still needs more time to bond.
But even as Liverpool continue to negotiate Isak in the coming weeks, Ekitike still managed to make an impression to show that he is capable of opening up a promising start in Merseyside.
