Federico Chiesa has still only started one game this season – against Southampton in the Carabao Cup – but the Liverpool winger has proved he should be used more.
Chiesa’s first season at Liverpool was quiet for a clear reason: the Italian arrived drastically short of fitness and was put through a thorough programme to get up to speed.
But over a year on from his move to Juventus and the 27-year-old – who opted against a move away in the summer – still finds himself on the periphery.
His game time has increased but Chiesa is still yet to start a game in either the Premier League or Champions League this season.
That is despite his remarkable productivity in terms of goals and assists.
Liverpool have scored five goals in their last five games and Chiesa has been involved in four of those, with a goal and three assists.
Liverpool’s last five goals
• 1. Federico Chiesa – one goal, three assists
• 2. Alexander Isak – one goal, one assist
• 3. Cody Gakpo – two goals
• 4. Hugo Ekitike – one goal
* No official assist for Chiesa’s goal vs. Crystal Palace
He played only 124 minutes across the 2-1 victory over Southampton in the Carabao Cup and the subsequent defeats to Crystal Palace (2-1), Galatasaray (1-0), Chelsea (2-1) and Man United (2-1).
That means he has averaged a goal or assist every 31 minutes in that time.
In total, Chiesa has two goals and three assists in seven appearances this season, averaging a goal involvement every 34.2 minutes.
Hugo Ekitike (five goals, one assist) and Mohamed Salah (three goals, three assists) are the only Liverpool players with more goal involvements, with Cody Gakpo (three goals, two assists) level with Chiesa.
Unsurprisingly, the No. 14 has by far the best rate of minutes per goal or assist of any of Arne Slot‘s squad this season.
Liverpool’s best minutes per goal/assist this season
• 1. Federico Chiesa – two goals, three assists – 34.2 mins per G/A
• 2. Hugo Ekitike – five goals, one assist – 104.3 mins per G/A
• 3. Mohamed Salah – three goals, three assists – 153.8 mins per G/A
• 4. Cody Gakpo – three goals, two assists – 171.2 mins per G/A
• 5. Ryan Gravenberch – two goals, two assists – 188.5 mins per G/A
• 6. Alexander Isak – one goal, one assist – 192 mins per G/A
• 7. Dominik Szoboszlai – one goal, two assists – 330 mins per G/A
* Only players with one or more goal or assist
Those fundamental statistics beg the question of why Chiesa is not being considered for more frequent starts in the more high-profile competitions – particularly after his Man of the Match 90 minutes vs. Southampton.
Slot opted to name an unchanged side for the visit of Man United after the international break but it clearly did not have the desired effect as another disjointed performance played out.
Chiesa had turned down a call-up to the Italy squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and Israel to again focus on his fitness.
But having spent the two-week break not adding minutes to his legs as was the case with the rest of Slot’s attackers, he was still not considered until the final 18 minutes against United.
He then still managed to assist just six minutes after coming on.
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