Having flirted with a move away over the summer, Federico Chiesa has now stated he wants to stay and “win for Liverpool again.”
In early August, Chiesa was still looking to leave Liverpool. However, circumstances changed and he decided to stay.
His season began brilliantly with an emotional late winner against Bournemouth on the opening night, but despite boasting by far the best minutes per goal/assist ratio among the squad, he has only started one match in all competitions.
Chiesa told media including the Liverpool Echo: “At the moment I’m happy with what I’m doing.
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“I’m not happy with what the situation is like for the team because we’re not winning, but personally I think I’m giving a lot to the team, to the fans and I want to keep doing that in order to win in the future.
“That’s the main reason I’m doing this. Obviously, I want to stay here and I want to win for Liverpool again.”
Chiesa’s only previous start this season came in the third round of the Carabao Cup, when he was arguably the Reds’ best player in a 2-1 win over Southampton.
Now, in the next round of the cup, he is set to play again – this time against Crystal Palace.
Comparing last season to this season
Chiesa had played even fewer minutes at this point last season, managing just 123 minutes before Christmas.
“Last year I wasn’t fit enough. I wasn’t mentally ready and I didn’t play,” he explained.
“I was totally OK with it because I wasn’t up to speed with the other lads.
“This year, I felt as soon as we started I felt better physically and mentally. I have played more and I still need to play more to reach the level. I was playing a lot when I won the Euros (in 2021).
“I’m a different player now, but I like where I’m going and I like the fact I have improved in many aspects of my game, apart from the fact I have lost a bit of speed.”
This loss of speed has caused Arne Slot to prefer the use of Chiesa through the middle, rather than as a winger.
The Italian’s close control in tight spaces makes him an ideal man to link up play from a false-nine position, but even when he isn’t on the pitch, Chiesa feels he can be an influence on the squad.
“I do feel that I can give a bit of leadership on the pitch, because I’m 28 and we have a lot of players that are around 24, or like Florian (Wirtz) just 22,” the Italian added.
“I can help the team by being on the pitch and giving them some leadership. Of course, then we have Virgil, we have Mo (Salah), but I think for the games that I have played in my past, I can bring that (experience) to our game.”
While he isn’t Liverpool’s most influential player, Chiesa is clearly a popular figure and many would argue he has been deserving of more game time than he has so far been awarded.
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