Arne Slot Indicates Chiesa is Ready to Start

Arne Slot commented ahead of Liverpool’s tricky tie against Westham in the EFL Cup. The Dutchman spoke about the fitness and also the readiness of Liverpool’s new signing, Federico Chiesa. He specified the Italian is ready for his first of the season. Chiesa has not had his first start this season in any competition; however, he has come off the bench against AC Milan in the Champions League and Bournemouth on Saturday.

Arne Slot believes the Italian is ready to start; however, he’s still not ready for a full 90-minute game. Liverpool continued their hot form last week after they demolished Bournemouth at Anfield. Arne Slot will hope the FA Cup tie won’t be a different scenario.

Arne Slot on Chiesa

The Dutchman believes Chiesa is ready to start after making his appearance against AC Milan and Bournemouth coming off the bench. The Italian showed signs of brilliance at the Bournemouth game, hitting the woodwork and almost setting up a goal. Arne Slot has commented that the Italian will likely have his first start on Wednesday. However, he’s not ready for a 90-minute game.

He said: “I don’t think he’s able to play 90 minutes. He only played 25 now, as a maximum, in the last three, four, five months,” he told reporters at the AXA Training Centre. I don’t think he played any friendly for Juve as well. But he’s able to start, in our opinion, and if he will, let’s see. There are many options that we have, but he’s able to start in our opinion. But I don’t think he’s able to play 90 minutes at the level we are playing tomorrow against a strong West Ham team.”

Slot on Rotation of his Side

Arne Slot has said that his side will likely be rotated ahead of the West Ham clash at the Carabao Cup. Arne Slot will be looking to give minutes to the likes of Gomez, Tsimikas, Quansah, and Chiesa ahead of the game. The Dutchman expressed his desire to give everyone a chance in the team.

He added: “I want all of them to play. Unfortunately, that’s not possible, because you can only name 11, But we will play with the best possible team and that can sometimes also mean that other players that have played a lot are maybe a bit more tired. So that means, because the differences are so small, I will select for this game different players. But they will come in today and we will look at how fit they are and then I will make the decision who is going to start and who isn’t.”

Arne Slot could field in names like Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas, Wataru Endo, Tyler Morton, Curtis Jones, Chiesa, Diogo Jota, and Cody Gakpo, which none had started against Bournemouth, as the likes of Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, and Gravenberch could all be rested.

What’s Ahead for Liverpool

The Reds will host West Ham on Wednesday for their FA Cup tie. In the aftermath, they’ll travel to play Wolves in the EPL. The following week they’ll also travel to play Bologna in the UCL. Arne Slot will hope his squad can handle the fixtures ahead, securing maximum points whilst maintaining fitness and avoiding injuries.