Revealed: Why Federico Chiesa did not start vs. Accrington – “Wasn’t with us”

Arne Slot has revealed that Rio Ngumoha was “lucky” to start against Accrington Stanley on Saturday, with Federico Chiesa not involved in the buildup.

Ngumoha made a shock full debut as Liverpool hosted League Two side Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup, becoming the club’s youngest-ever player in the competition.

It came with Chiesa beginning the game on the bench, to the surprise of many, with the Italian only introduced at half-time for Dominik Szoboszlai.

He went on to score his first goal for the club to make it 4-0 in a dominant win for Liverpool, with Slot revealing in his post-match press conference that he would have been in the starting XI were it not for illness.

“Rio was lucky that Federico wasn’t with us in the last two days, because he was sick,” the head coach explained.

“Otherwise Federico would have started of course.

“Now he could play 45, so we could bring Dom 45 minutes, bring him out and then bring Federico.

“I think it’s nice to make your debut and I think if you’ve played for this club already then you want to score your first goal, especially in front of your own fans.

“That’s what he did now, so that’s a good next step.

“Let’s not get carried away too much because, although I liked the way Accrington Stanley played a lot, it’s in the end a League Two team.

“But it’s definitely a good next step for him to be available and even score a goal.”

Asked if Chiesa had been left frustrated with a wholly disappointing start to life at Liverpool, Slot admitted: “That is definitely true.

“But if a player is fit and he doesn’t get the chance to show it it’s also a frustration.

“The best part of being a footballer is playing, doing well and winning.

“If you don’t play, because the manager makes a different decision or you’re not available, that is always difficult for every player, because every player wants to do what he loves most.

“Even I would love to play still, but unfortunately that is not possible anymore!”

Chiesa has now seen at least three illnesses impact his involvement for Liverpool, along with a series of unknown injuries in a long battle for full fitness.

The hope will be that the £12.5 million summer signing can gain a foothold as part of Slot’s first-team squad – though speculation over a mid-season return to Serie A has still not died down.

That comes with winger Khvicha Kvaratskhalia handing in a transfer request amid interest from Liverpool, with Chiesa considered an option to replace him at Napoli.