Federico Chiesa’s Crucial Campaign: Redemption in Red
The arrival of Federico Chiesa in the summer of 2024 brought elation and a quiet sense of optimism to Merseyside. An established Italian winger who dribbled at opponents for less than £15 million signaled a steal in today’s lofty market. Although Chiesa’s role was to back up Mohamed Salah, Chiesa’s late-game cameos would allow Salah to rest and Liverpool to still threaten opponents. Early signs of promise turned into setbacks and struggles. The Italian enters his second season with the Reds, one marked by redemption and rebirth.
Chiesa featured irregularly throughout his first season on Merseyside. His debut came against AC Milan in the Champions League, where his performance earned him a spot in the starting eleven versus West Ham in the Carabao Cup a week later. A 60-minute appearance marked with an assist gave fans a reason to be excited for future performances. Then, a muscle injury combined with fitness issues led to inconsistent and sporadic single-minute cameos for the rest of the season.
Entering the 2025-26 season, Chiesa made his desire clear: feature more regularly or return to Italy in hopes of breaking back into the Italian National Team. Transfer talks brewed here and there. Fans speculated a move away from the Reds was imminent when Arne Slot left Chiesa out of the preseason tour to Asia. Liverpool became relentless in the market, signing attackers Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz, leaving Chiesa to fall in the pecking order. Although losing three forwards and speculation of selling Harvey Elliott, it offered Chiesa a chance to rediscover his spark. He made no mistake.
The Italian netted the winner in Liverpool’s opening fixture of the new Premier League season, which is an early sign of his redemption and rebirth. His half-volley winner and defensive work rate demonstrated that Slot can trust him. Chiesa’s strike not only justified the manager's decision to sub him on but also spared him the backlash that often comes with substitutions that squander a two-goal lead. Slot adores players who make an impact, no matter how long they are on the pitch. Chiesa took up several positions, too, and had energy throughout. In a post-match interview, Slot even praised Chiesa by calling his role “fantastic.”
Now that the winger scored his first Premier League goal, he committed his future to Liverpool. He wants to stay to win as many trophies as possible, which fans took to heart, and so did Slot. Chiesa can use the momentum and support to continue his redemption and rebirth. With the backing of the fanbase and the manager, Chiesa has more support than ever to thrive. His passion for the badge will remind him to make every opportunity count. Although it is only one goal and the season has just begun, it is something to build upon.
He will likely receive more opportunities due to the fewer attacking options. Without depth, Chiesa can take advantage of a need for goalscoring. Chiesa is versatile and can play as a false nine or a winger. He already understands Slot’s system, too, and will not have to adapt to a new style. This eliminates the adjustment period that kept him out of the squad for a short time last year. The Italian is the most natural winger left and can easily give someone else a rest more frequently, instead of battling it out with another player on the bench.
There is a different hunger Chiesa has this season. He worked behind the scenes in preseason to stay sharp. Since the World Cup is less than a year away, Chiesa is eager to help his national team qualify for the major tournament after consecutive failed qualifications in 2018 and 2022. It will be a difficult task, though. The last time Chiesa featured for the Azzurri was in the Round of 16 match against Switzerland at EURO 2024. It will only ensure he stays at the top of his game in training and on matchdays. Chiesa is starting to officially arrive at Liverpool and will fulfill his second season in red, filled with redemption and rebirth.
