Federico Chiesa will play a role in Liverpool’s EFL Cup quarter-final at Southampton tomorrow night.
The Italy international has struggled with injuries and a general lack of fitness since his summer move from Juventus and has made just three appearances, the last of which came on September 25 in the win over West Ham at Anfield.
He was an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw with Fulham at the weekend but will feature at St. Mary’s.
Arne Slot’s provides an injury update on his team 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/DL7WHgTUT4
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Reds boss Arne Slot said: “It’s definitely a moment where he can earn minutes. The number of minutes is the question. You can’t expect him to play 90, I think, especially not at this level where the intensity is so high because he’s been out for five or six months now. If he trains well it will take minutes.
“If he starts, or comes in and plays the second half, that’s something we’ll have to make a decision on.”
Diogo Jota will not start after missing training yesterday, but Slot hinted that Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo will play.
Liverpool’s progress ‘normal’
Liverpool go into the game with their lead at the top of the Premier League cut to two points, but are still strong in all three competitions they are currently involved in.
Asked if he had been surprised by Liverpool’s impressive start, Slott said: “I think it’s normal for Liverpool to fight for every trophy and be in every cup for a long time to get to the end.
“That happened last season when this club won this (EFL Cup) competition. So I’m not surprised with the quality we have that we’re competing at the moment for those three trophies, and the fourth (the FA Cup) starts in January.
“It’s a challenge because we have a lot of competition here and in other teams. In the League Cup, if you look at the other teams that are still in it, none of the teams involved will have an easy path to the final.”
The slot machine has sympathy for Martin
Liverpool face a Southampton side still reeling from the sacking of manager Russell Martin on Sunday, shortly after their 5-0 home defeat by Tottenham.
Slott expressed his sympathy for former Scotland international and Wolves boss Gary O’Neil, who was also sacked at the weekend, but accepted that results ultimately decide a manager’s fate.
He said: “I think it’s a shame. These things happen. Russell Martin did so well last season for Southampton. This season again (his side) played good football. We experienced this when we had such a rough day there. We only beat them 3-2.
“So you’re always sorry if managers don’t get the chance to continue. Especially in those two situations because for me they were coaches who had a good idea of how they wanted to play with their team. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get enough points – then the coaches were fired.”
