'Not good enough': Pundit seriously unimpressed with 'poor' Liverpool player in Plymouth defeat
09/02/2025 20:15
For arguably the first time during his time at Liverpool, Arne Slot will have some questions to answer after his side exited the FA Cup at the hands of Plymouth Argyle.
Across all competitions so far this season, Liverpool have been excellent, and talk of an unprecedented quadruple in Slot's first campaign was beginning to be mentioned after his side reached the final of the Carabao Cup.
However, Slot made a ton of changes ahead of facing Championship side Argyle, and he didn't give himself much to play with on his bench either.
Liverpool's starting eleven weren't good enough to beat Argyle, and only Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones were on hand to change things, with the latter remaining on the bench.
That being said, Federico Chiesa was one of the senior players who Slot trusted from the start, and it's fair to say that he didn't deliver.
Federico Chiesa told he was ‘not good enough’ in FA Cup exit
Liverpool fans criticised Chiesa after the game, who simply couldn't get the better of his full-back, even when Slot switched him from the right to the left.
Watching the game for ITV Sport, Karen Carney thought Chiesa was 'poor' throughout, one of the contributing factors to Liverpool's FA Cup exit.
Playing second-fiddle to Mohamed Salah and contending with some injuries, Chiesa started only his third game for Liverpool in the defeat, and he simply couldn't get going.
Critiquing his display, Carney said: "I thought Federico Chiesa was poor. Way off the boil today.
"Not good enough. The last 10 minutes Arne Slot said ‘go long’. He put Jarell Quansah up front and they put it in the box and that’s where their chances come from."
Arne Slot will have a plan for Federico Chiesa
Liverpool recruited Chiesa for something of a bargain for £10m from Juventus in the summer, a 27-year-old who looked exciting for Italy at the Euros despite their early exit.
However, the Italian simply hasn't had the opportunity to build any kind of momentum at Anfield just yet.
Whilst he was poor against Argyle, Chiesa still has plenty to offer for Liverpool, who have a manager in Slot who will know how to get the best out of his winger in time.
Salah is obviously going to be Slot's first-choice on the right for the remainder of the season, who is still one of the best in the world at 32-years-old.
But when given the opportunity in a stronger line up, Chiesa can still thrive in rotation.
