Federico Chiesa was playing catch-up from the moment he arrived at Liverpool late last summer.
Having missed pre-season at Juventus after being frozen out by Thiago Motta, the £10million ($12.5m) signing wasn’t in the right shape to immediately compete for a place in Arne Slot’s side.
The Italy international struggled to handle the intensity of the training schedule and picked up muscle injuries. Illness also limited his game time. By Christma, he had clocked up just 123 forgettable minutes of football for Liverpool.
Bought to ease the burden on Mohamed Salah, Chiesa had largely been a spectator. There was speculation about a possible loan move back to Serie A in the January window but neither Liverpool nor the player seriously considered that option.
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Since the turn of the year, the landscape has started to shift for Chiesa. There was a first Liverpool goal off the bench against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup at Anfield earlier this month and other flashes of genuine quality in cameos against Brentford, Lille and Ipswich Town.
Wednesday night’s insignificant 3-2 defeat to PSV in the Champions League won’t live long in the memory but for Chiesa, it represented another step in the right direction. After being handed only his second start, he looked fitter, sharper and more effective than in any of his previous eight appearances for the club.
It was the first time he had played a full game since he was part of the Italy team beaten by Switzerland in the last 16 of the Euros in Berlin last June.
“I have to thank the coach and the staff for giving me the chance to play 90 minutes tonight,” Chiesa told LFCTV.
“It was great because I needed it. Since I joined Liverpool, I’ve wanted to prove myself and I couldn’t for many reasons.
“We have a great team. It’s hard to play but that’s normal. I want to be here, I want to play for Liverpool, I want to challenge myself. I will be ready for the next opportunity.”
The former Fiorentina attacker was heavily involved in both Liverpool goals at Philips Stadion. The first came about thanks to his pressing as he pounced on Joey Veerman’s poor control. In trying to make amends, the Dutch midfielder clattered Chiesa in the box and Cody Gakpo slotted home from the spot.
After Johan Bakayoko had restored parity, Chiesa’s sweet strike was parried by Walter Benitez, with Harvey Elliott following up to tuck away the rebound.
With such a youthful, shadow line-up on display, it was never likely to be enough for Liverpool and goals from Ismael Saibari and Richardo Pepi before the break secured victory for the hosts.
But Chiesa’s intelligent movement and touch continued to catch the eye in the second half after he was shifted from right to left following the introduction of the impressive Tyler Morton for Gakpo, who was given a standing ovation on his return to PSV. A cute nutmeg on Veerman underlined Chiesa’s growing confidence.
“Federico got a knock with the penalty, so that took him a few minutes before he got going again,” Slot said.
“But I think it’s been seven, eight or nine months since he played 90 (minutes). It’s the same for Jayden Danns, it was the same for James McConnell. Okay, Jayden couldn’t manage to play the whole game but Federico, in the end, was still sprinting and trying to do his work so it’s positive.”
Federico Chiesa gets a shot away during Liverpool’s 3-2 loss to PSV (Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool haven’t had much luck with Italian signings over the years. Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini, Alberto Aquilani, Andrea Dossena and Daniele Padelli didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory.
Such is the rush in the modern game to make sweeping judgments, some had already added Chiesa’s name to that list of flops. But patience is a virtue and the 27-year-old looks capable of bucking that trend and playing a bigger role as Slot continues to mastermind his team’s pursuit of silverware on four fronts.
Of course, Salah will return to Slot’s starting line-up away to in-form Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday along with all the other key figures who were rested on Wednesday night. The Egyptian is so durable and his attacking output is so dazzling that Chiesa isn’t going to get in ahead of him on a regular basis.
But Chiesa, who turned down interest from the Saudi Pro League before penning a four-year contract at Liverpool last August, has shown that he can operate on either flank and that makes him a valuable asset as the stakes keep rising.
Barcelona’s failure to beat Atalanta ensured that Liverpool still finished top of the league phase and they will face either Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Monaco or Brest in the last 16 in March.
Between now and then, it’s all about domestic duties and Chiesa is ready to play his part. After a false start, the first signing of Slot’s reign is belatedly getting up to speed.
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(Top photo: Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images)
