The green shoots of optimism that emerged on the opening day of the season for Federico Chiesa have been trampled two days after his Liverpool fate was sealed for at least another four months. He can blame the fans, his only Premier League goal and a child for this second monumental mistake.
He featured for just 104 minutes in his debut Premier League season and him still being at Anfield for a second would have been considered impossible ahead of a summer in which he seemed to be linked with the majority of Serie A clubs to bring his inauspicious time in England to an end.
“That’s a strange substitution that. Really strange,” Jamie Carragher said as Church replaced Florian Wirtz in the 82nd minute at Anfield with Liverpool chasing the game. Six minutes later the Italy international was scoring a fine goal to win the game for Arne Slot’s side before Mohamed Salah put it to bed in stoppage time.
Jubilant celebrations preceded hope that Liverpool fans may get to see something closer to the player who took Euro 2020 by storm this season, though the cult hero status Chiesa has achieved through a combination of that goal and a concerted and heart-warming effort to back him to the hilt in opposition to rivals who mock his contributions feels at least as much about the fans’ love of a catchy chant as anything.
“I don’t know, maybe it is also a nice song to sing,” Slot said when asked about the love pouring down from the Anfield stands for Chiesa. “But then I probably don’t give him the credits he deserves.”
Maybe we’re not either. Chiesa should never have joined Liverpool in the first place – that was his first mistake – but has already made half as many Premier League appearances this season as he managed in his debut campaign. And while Slot referenced his heartbreaking inability to turn to Diogo Jota from the bench to change games in Liverpool’s favour, last season he would’t even have considered the Italian an option.
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“I see a totally different Federico now than from large parts of last season,” Slot said after the Bournemouth win. “He is in a much better place now.”
The goal was testament to that. It was a sharp and skilful finish. And there will now be at least some belief from Liverpool fans that Chiesa can make a telling difference from the bench. But it also grants them a very welcome opportunity to sing their amended Dean Martin tune, which is giving them – and more significantly him – an exaggerated view of his importance in being a footballer for Liverpool football club, rather than a tool for terrace camaraderie.
“I looked at the bench I only had him and Rio (Ngumoha), a 16-year-old, as attacking options,” Slot added. And it’s just Chiesa’s luck that said teenager – now 17 after his birthday last week – scored an even more dramatic winner the week after to secure the 3-2 victory over Newcastle and ensure his inclusion in Liverpool’s Champions League squad at the cost of Chiesa.
Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso revealed this week that Chiesa told him he “wants to be 100 per cent” before returning to the national squad, but after this latest crushing blow for the 27-year-old, hours after Liverpool signed a new £130m striker in Alexander Isak to push him back down the forward pecking order, he must now be wondering whether he will ever get close to that peak fitness in a World Cup year.
He may now already be regretting his decision to snub a return to his homeland in favour of staying at a club whose fans have embraced him, if not ironically then with a viral song at the forefront of their admiration, under a manager who will at best use him sparingly and at worst will go back to seeing him as a last resort he’s at pains to avoid.
