Chiesa Flashpoint Raises Fresh Questions Over Slot’s Liverpool Struggles
Liverpool are searching for clarity in a season that has unravelled far quicker than anyone on Merseyside expected. Arne Slot, who arrived to instant acclaim after guiding the club to the Premier League title in his debut campaign, now finds himself navigating a painful slide. Sitting ninth after winning only four of their last fourteen in all competitions, Liverpool are caught between confusion and underperformance, and the 1-1 draw with Sunderland only deepened the sense of drift.
Into that atmosphere of uncertainty stepped Federico Chiesa, who arrived from Juventus for £12m last summer, with a remarkable goal line clearance in the dying seconds. It kept the score at 1-1 and prevented a damaging result turning catastrophic, yet the moment has done little to settle the wider debate that surrounds both the player and the manager.
Chiesa’s Intervention and Slot’s Uncomfortable Reality
David Lynch captured the surreal mix of relief and alarm that spread around Anfield after the final whistle. He said: “It did feel like if Liverpool had lost this one then it would’ve added another defeat to a long list but it’s hard to work out where Liverpool are up to at the moment.”
That line reflects the club’s current dilemma. One action saved a point, yet it did nothing to clarify the direction of a season that remains painfully inconsistent. Lynch added: “It shouldn’t be the difference, but maybe it is a moment that saves Slot’s job.”
In normal circumstances, a single clearance would never be framed in such dramatic terms. But with Liverpool slipping and patience fraying, every moment feels magnified. Even Lynch cautioned against reading too much into it, saying: “In terms of his long-term future, Liverpool’s decision won’t be influenced by that sole moment, that’s for sure.”
Chiesa’s Role and the Manager’s Reluctance
Slot’s refusal to give Chiesa meaningful minutes has become one of the defining talking points among supporters. Lynch outlined the dynamic bluntly and without sugarcoating. “And it’s from a player that the manager doesn’t particularly seem to love.”
He expanded on that tension: “He gets so much stick about this because people want Chiesa to start and you’ll never get the answer that you want about it.”
Those frustrations stem from a clear pattern in team selection. No matter how poor the collective form becomes, Chiesa remains firmly outside Slot’s preferred lineup. Lynch explained: “Because the fact is that Slot doesn’t rate him and doesn’t think he is good enough to start for Liverpool and he is never going to come out and say that.”
For fans, this is perhaps the most exasperating part. Pressure builds, performances dip, yet Chiesa’s role remains unchanged. Lynch concluded: “It’s almost no point in getting frustration about it because I can promise you that this will never come out until one of them leaves the club.”
“We’ve seen all season what he really thinks about the player and that is that he doesn’t think he is good enough.”
Liverpool’s Path Forward
Chiesa’s intervention against Sunderland may linger in highlight reels, but Liverpool’s real issues lie deeper. Slot needs more than isolated rescues. He needs direction, rhythm and conviction from a squad that has lost its confidence and identity.
The question now is simple. Can Liverpool rediscover the structure and intensity that defined Slot’s first campaign or will the manager’s reluctance to adapt become a defining flaw of this troubled title defence?
