Arne Slot, Liverpool’s head coach, has expressed concern over the availability of his striking options due to the relentless fixture list. This comes in light of Diogo Jota’s unavailability until after the coming international break, and Federico Chiesa’s injury status remains uncertain.
As the Reds gear up for their Wednesday Carabao Cup tie in Brighton, the absence of Jota and Chiesa is felt. Jota, who’s missed the last two games, is set to miss at least four more due to a rib injury incurred during a clash with Chelsea’s defender Tosin Adarabioyo.
This recent setback for the Portuguese star adds further significance to Darwin Núñez’s role for the impending Brighton clashes, the forthcoming Champions League tie with Bayer Leverkusen and the Premier League match against Aston Villa.
When queried about Jota’s return before the international break scheduled from November 11th-22nd, Slot responded negatively, stating the same for [Harvey] Elliott. The availability of Chiesa, the Italian striker who moved from Juventus in a £12.5m transfer this summer, remains unknown. Chiesa has been plagued with injuries since his arrival and has only managed a meagre 78 minutes in three matches.
Slot attributes this to a lacklustre pre-season, where under Juventus’ new coach, Thiago Motta, Chiesa was sidelined from the main squad. Playing in the high-intensity Premier League has been a catch-up game for the 27-year-old, who is even rumoured to be considering a Serie A loan return come January.
Speaking on these speculations, Slot conveyed his disinterest and prioritised getting Chiesa match-fit. He acknowledged it’s been challenging for Chiesa, especially transitioning from low to high-intensity training. However, Slot is optimistic about finding the ideal way to groom him based on his fluctuating fitness. Consequently, Slot didn’t speculate on Chiesa’s return.
In an assertion made by Slot, he revealed that his range of choices for making substitutions at the Brighton battle was quite limited compared to the previous Carabao Cup round against West Ham. Although, there could be a possibility of Vitezslav Jaros stepping in for Caoimhín Kelleher as the goalkeeper, while Conor Bradley, the full-back, is once again in good shape. He expressed his concerns by saying, “As it stands, we have six forwards and two of them are injured, which given our packed timetable, is slightly worrying for me.” – Guardian.