Why Federico Chiesa was absent for Liverpool against West Ham as new injury explained
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
The Reds signed off 2024 with a rampant 5-0 win at the London Stadium to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League. Liverpool’s front three of Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah were on target in the first half before Trent Alexander-Arnold extended the lead after the break. Then Diogo Jota came off the bench to put the gloss on the win with six minutes remaining.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdGiven the Reds’ commanding position, it might have been a game for Chiesa to get minutes under his belt in the Premier League. The winger has managed just four appearances since signing from Juventus in the summer transfer window. But because of his ongoing fitness issues, Slot admitted that he felt it was more prudent for Chiesa to get more training under his belt.
The Liverpool head coach said: “Federico I've said many times already, we are working on two things, we are working on his match fitness and whenever we can we tried to bring him with the team. He was on the bench during the week and we thought it was better for him to have some extra training sessions instead of joining us. It's the constant balance we have to find between getting him fitter and fitter and letting him join the team.”
Liverpool’s win over West Ham was somewhat marred by the injury to Joe Gomez. The centre-back was forced off in the first half with a hamstring issue and is expected to have a spell on the treatment table. Slot told Sky Sports: “You saw today an injury of Joe Gomez. If a player says he wants to stop, he has to be changed.
“In a sprint, then we all know it’s a hamstring and we all know it’s going take a while before he is back. I don’t know how long but he will be out for quite a bit. These situations can happen in a season.”
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.