Liverpool fans were left wondering why Cody Gakpo was preferred to Federico Chiesa against Paris Saint-Germain, with the Italian yet again unused.
The Reds were dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday evening, following a penalty shootout defeat to PSG.
For Arne Slot, it was a rare bad night, with the Dutchman outdone by Luis Enrique over the two legs.
The Dutchman has been famed for using his substitutes expertly, but his changes didn’t work at Anfield, with Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez among those who struggled.
Meanwhile, Gakpo touched the ball just three times and didn’t complete a pass when he came on, leaving plenty of supporters perplexed as to why Chiesa didn’t get a look in instead.
Slot must hate Chiesa. He's brought on an injured Gakpo instead.
— Sam McGuire (@SamMcGuire90) March 11, 2025
Also that gakpo sub was horrendous… he was clearly not fit… everyone was running and he couldn’t even press. We were carrying him in extra time. Is chiesa that bad?? Awful awful awful decisions
— Belinder (@_bubblxs) March 11, 2025
What’s Chiesa gotta do to get a game?
Gakpo couldn’t even fucking run when he came on, clearly wasn’t fit
— Liam (@LiamAubLFC) March 11, 2025
Feel bad for Chiesa imagine watching Diaz, Jota and Nunez while having about 70 combined minutes all season
— . (@SellDarw1nNunez) March 11, 2025
Putting an unfit Gakpo on for extra time was, frankly, some of the worst management I've seen. He was a passenger.
Goodness knows what Chiesa has done to Slot.
— J (@JayDiddly) March 11, 2025
Finishing matters. We may have 6 forwards but Nunez, Jota and Diaz are too hit and miss form wise and Gakpo wasn't fit at all when he came on. Chiesa for whatever reason isn't trusted by Slot.
— Red (@TaintlessRed) March 11, 2025
Lastly, Federico Chiesa needs to have a heated and frank discussion with Arne Slot.
Slot preferred to play a Gakpo returning from injury rather than a fit Chiesa.
Even if Chiesa is bad at training sessions, let us see him in the game. I don't think he's worse off than Nunez. pic.twitter.com/Znvl6YPzT2
— NJIE ENOW: The Razzmatazz (@NjieEnow) March 11, 2025
The Chiesa situation stinks. There’s definitely some disagreement between Slot and our recruitment team behind the scenes. Gakpo having to come on when he could barely move was ridiculous, clearly still struggling with injury.
— Moz (@Moz404) March 11, 2025
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Slot’s decision to bring on Gakpo was an odd one, considering how unfit he looked.
For Chiesa, it was another blow, with the Italy winger enduring a tough first season at Liverpool, playing just 25 minutes in the Premier League and starting only three times in all competitions.
If Slot isn’t preferring him to Gakpo in these circumstances, you have to wonder if there is any future for him at Anfield.
At this point, it would be a surprise if Chiesa was still a Reds player next season, with his £10 million move not working out at all.
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