It’s been a challenging period for Federico Chiesa since he transferred to Liverpool, with the $16m (£12m/€15m) man from Juventus managing only one start and a couple of brief appearances off the bench.
However, there’s optimism in the air as boss Arne Slot hinted prior to the Reds cruising past Aston Villa 2-0 at home that the Italian ace is expected to be back around the international break.
While Chiesa grapples with his fitness issues, he finds himself omitted from Italy’s squad for their Nations League fixtures against Belgium and France. This move stands in stark contrast to his integral role in Italy’s triumphant Euro 2020 campaign, where they bested England in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout at Wembley.
Back in Italy, the winger’s transfer to Anfield along with his development—or lack thereof—in Liverpool remains a hot topic, especially after Slot’s comments last month regarding Chiesa’s absence stirred up quite a bit of discomfort back at home.
Antonio Cassano, the ex-Roma and Real Madrid maestro who also had stints with Sampdoria and donned the national shirt, couldn’t help but chime into the narrative during his time on the show Viva el Futbol.
Clearly perturbed by what’s going down with the Italian forward, Cassano didn’t hold back. “You need to tell me what the f**k is happening with Chiesa,” Cassano said, expressing his discontent about Chiesa’s predicament and its damaging implications for the Azzurri.
“A player who in 2021 was one of the best if not the best along with (Gianluigi) Donnarumma in the Italy team that won, and I thought, now he goes there, different league, he’ll be fine and can play wing-back, can play wherever he wants and likes, but he can’t even play 10 minutes in the league.
“He’s physically unwell, hasn’t settled in, isn’t up to standard? We need to know something about this for our national team because in my opinion he’s the most talented player we have.”
