Liverpool were without Federico Chiesa for their match against Bologna at Anfield on Wednesday night, as confirmed by manager Arne Slot. After a busy summer with Italy in the Euros and a limited pre-season at Juventus, Chiesa was eased into his Liverpool career, remaining on the bench during the Wolverhampton Wanderers game after making his first start against West Ham United earlier in the week.
Despite training normally on Monday, he reported ‘some problems’ on Tuesday, ruling him out of the Bologna fixture. Slot expressed Chiesa’s disappointment at missing the opportunity to play against an Italian team at Anfield, but reassured fans that there would be many more opportunities to come.
While no exact timeline has been given for his return, it’s possible he could be back for the Crystal Palace game at the weekend, with the international break providing further recovery time.Despite this, there may be a slight concern about how frequently Chiesa could be out of action due to minor issues like these. He came to Anfield with a somewhat worrying injury history, presenting a challenge to Slot’s impressive record of injury prevention.
After suffering a severe cruciate ligament tear in early 2022, the 26-year-old has been sidelined on 13 separate occasions. Although he has never missed more than six games at a time – the median absence is two games which in total adds up to a full season missing.
That being said, there’s no need to sound the alarm just yet. There was always a risk of a setback as Liverpool gradually brought Chiesa back to match fitness, and the club is undoubtedly proceeding with extreme caution.
Harvey Elliott will also be absent from the game against Bologna and he is aiming to return after the international break. Diogo Jota has missed training this week due to an injury he sustained against Wolves, but Slot anticipates him being available.
