Federico Chiesa chant saw furious fans turn on each other as Arne Slot inherits problem
Share:
Toward the end of his Juventus career, Federico Chiesa found himself at the centre of an ugly incident of fan unrest - but his summer switch to Liverpool has done little to lift him out of the doldrums. It could well be argued that Arne Slot took something of a gamble on Chiesa. While the winger only set the Reds back £10million plus £2.5m in add-ons, his checkered injury record and recent struggles for Juventus, where sections of the fanbase turned on him, heralded murmurs of doubt, and so far, it's the doubters who seem vindicated.
Since moving to Merseyside in August, Chiesa has made just four appearances in a red shirt. His omission from Liverpool's 5-0 thrashing of West Ham on Sunday was the 16th game he has missed this season. Starring for Fiorentina and then later Juventus, the son of the legendary Enrico Chiesa, seemed destined to become one of finest players in the world. The Italian star, 27, famously announced himself as one of his country's brightest hopes at Euro 2020 where he scored vital goals against Austria and Spain, as Italy marched to the final where they beat England to lift the trophy.
While Liverpool fans were excited to see his enigmatic talent unleashed upon the fields of Anfield Road, it looks as though Slot may have inherited a player whose injury and fitness doubts have blossomed into something of a full-blown problem. A devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury just six months after his European Championship triumph saw Chiesa ruled out of action for the best part of a year, and he has grappled with his form ever since.
