Arne Slot makes thoughts on Federico Chiesa clear after Liverpool cameo vs Southampton

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has acknowledged that new recruit Federico Chiesa will need time to reach peak performance after his injury layoff.

The Italian forward featured in the second half of Liverpool’s 2-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Southampton on Wednesday evening, marking his return after nearly three months out.

Despite being limited to just four appearances since his transfer from Juventus, which could eventually total £12.5million, Slot saw positive signs from Chiesa at St Mary’s and is looking for him to push the likes of Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and Diogo Jota.

“I think what I saw is what you can expect,” Slot commented. “If a player is out for five or six months you cannot expect (too much). I saw ups and downs. I saw some really good moments and I saw some moments where I felt like, ‘OK, you can do better than this.’

“For me, that’s completely normal if a player has been out for so long. To get him back to his best is not easy. But it was good to see that he showed some quality already.”

“But it’s the same for him like the youngsters, it’s not enough to play at this level, you have to compete with Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo, Lucho (Diaz), Darwin and Diogo.

“But it’s good to see that he’s back and that he had a few good moments in the game.”

Ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with Tottenham, Slot made changes to his team, resting captain Virgil van Dijk and leading scorer Salah.

Liverpool progressed to the semi-finals with goals from Nunez and Harvey Elliott – his first start this season – initially putting them on front foot. Cameron Archer’s strike for Southampton added tension, but Liverpool held firm as Chiesa nearly extended their lead.

Interim Saints boss Simon Rusk, stepping in post Russell Martin’s departure after a 5-0 loss to Spurs, is not sure what will happen in the coming days.

“The communication has been really clear and excellent and I’m guessing that I’ll be getting some communication about how the next couple of days are going to look,” he said. Confessing his uncertainty, he added: “I’m not sure yet.

“They (the players) were hurting from the other day. They need some form of leadership and direction and that’s my job.

“In the second half, the guys stood up to it, didn’t wilt, and grew into the game and maybe on another day we go and nick the second.”

With the search for a new manager ongoing, Southampton turn their focus to Sunday’s match against Fulham.