"It's a dream come true. I will give everything in this shirt" - Federico Chiesa admitted at his Liverpool debut this summer.
In football as well as in life, there are decisions that will be a turning point. And in Chiesa's case, it seems that not everything has gone as expected.
In the final days of the 2024 summer transfer window, the door was opened for the Italian striker to join Barcelona. But in the end, he followed Arne Slot's call to sign for Liverpool, where Chiesa has only played 3 matches this season.
It is easy to see that Chiesa will have more starting opportunities at Barcelona than Liverpool's already cramped attack. The EURO 2020 champion moved to Anfield on 29 August for €12 million but has barely played in pre-season.
"I feel sorry. Chiesa missed the entire pre-season. I've said this many times. Coming to a high-intensity competition like the Premier League is really difficult for him," Slot said.
Chiesa had to wait until September 17 for Liverpool's trip to San Siro to make his Liverpool debut. However, in reality, he was only allowed to enter the field in extra time.
Just a few days later, Chiesa made his Premier League debut in the Kop's 3-0 win over Bournemouth. However, about 20 minutes on the pitch were still not enough for the 27-year-old to make a difference.
Lack of fitness and poor form are making Chiesa a big problem. In that context, Liverpool are facing a tight schedule and a series of injuries to key players. Since the Carabao Cup match against West Ham in September, where the Italian striker played for 59 minutes, Chiesa has been absent for the last 8 matches.
"I wouldn't use the word worry. But the situation is not ideal for Chiesa and us," Slot said.
After winning EURO 2020 with Italy, Chiesa was expected to become a top star. However, this striker has fading over time. In the list of 23 players recently called up by coach Luciano Spalletti, Chiesa is also absent.
With five other quality options up front, Slot would find it difficult to put Chiesa in the starting lineup even if he wanted to. In fact, there were many questions when the "Red Brigade" brought Chiesa in this summer.
Of course, Chiesa still has time to turn things around and at least become an important factor in Liverpool's rotation. But for now, the first thing the Italian international needs to do is to meet the physical requirements well.
