As he looks to win a trophy in his first season at Anfield, Liverpool manager Arne Slot has left winger Federico Chiesa out of his Premier League matchday squad against Bournemouth, but he hasn’t given an excuse for his absence.
The Dutchman, who is still fighting on all fronts, is eager to keep things interesting and has left 27-year-old Chiesa at home for his team’s trip down south. He is now sitting atop the Premier League standings 22 games into his first season at the club.
Two of the three longest continuous unbeaten streaks in the English top flight are held by Bournemouth, who have won 11 straight games, and Liverpool, who have won 18 straight games. As a result, the match at the Vitality Stadium is set to Chiesa won’t be involved, but bring nothing but pyrotechnics.
Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott, and Diogo Jota are among the players on the table toppers’ bench against the high-flying Cherries. They will all be hoping to contribute from the bench, but there was no room for their summer arrival.
Fabrizio Romano posted on X (previously Twitter): “Federico Chiesa was left out by Arne Slot today without any illness or injury.” Due to a technical decision, Darwin Nunez and [Diogo] Jota were benched today after playing 90 minutes in the UCL on Wednesday.
Following a 90-minute performance on Wednesday in the Champions League, James Pearce, The Athletic’s Liverpool writer, first reported that Chiesa, who joined from Juventus in the summer of 2024, was not included in the squad.
The 51-cap Italy international made his first full appearance for his Merseyside-based employers in Liverpool’s penultimate match in the league phase of the European top table. Although they lost, he recorded his second assist of the season in the 28th minute.
Despite only providing one assist, the Fiorentina academy graduate had a successful performance on Wednesday night at the Philips Stadion. His 60% (3/5) dribble rate and two on-target attempts caused PSV Eindhoven’s defense a lot of trouble. In the last third, he also finished three passes.
Two-time Italian Cup champion Chiesa missed eight consecutive Premier League games due to an injury he sustained shortly after signing. The forward has been gradually reintroduced into the game since he became fit again, which is why Slot and his team have chosen to exclude him from their most recent roster.
