Federico Chiesa Liverpool absence defended as Arne Slot title claim made

Former Liverpool shot-stopper David James has come out in support of the decision to leave Federico Chiesa out of the Champions League squad, suggesting that the Italian could play a pivotal role in their Premier League title defence. The 27-year-old's absence from the 22-man squad for Liverpool's European fixtures has been a talking point after scoring the winner on the opening day.

Liverpool included 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha in their squad shortly after his decisive performance against Newcastle United at St James' Park. With a limit of 17 non-homegrown players permitted in the European squad, Chiesa was overlooked as Ngumoha doesn't qualify as homegrown, having joined from Chelsea last year.

Despite a limited role in Liverpool's Premier League triumph, the ex-Juventus star is becoming a fan favourite at Anfield and has already made his mark this season by scoring the winning goal in the opener against AFC Bournemouth.

READ MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold reality clear as Xabi Alonso view on Real Madrid rival speaks volumes

READ MORE: Liverpool drop Alexander Isak debut hint as Arne Slot gets mixed injury news

James praised the European Championships hero but backed Arne Slot's choice, predicting that Chiesa will be influential in both domestic cup competitions and the league campaign.

"He didn't feature much at all last season, did he? Regularly on the bench and not featuring, he is this season but the recruitment Liverpool have made has been superb," James said, speaking to the Mirror via Esports Bets.

"He is the player that I look at and I just think, 'I love you', you could put him in any era, he looks like a 1950s player and you could imagine him running with big fat leather boots on. Today, he looks like he belongs there.

"I think Arne has to think about the squad with regards to the multiple competitions - not just put his best players in everything.

"I think with Chiesa, given he's already had so much more gametime in the early season, part of the defence of the Premier League will have a lot of Chiesa involvement.

"As much as you want to be a part of a Champions League squad, if you're a part of it and not playing, there are some who wouldn't necessarily like that. He's got a lot to do for Liverpool to be successful and I think he'll have a heavy involvement in that."

Despite being omitted from the Champions League list, Chiesa was seen training with record-signing Alexander Isak after the Swede was also left out of the squad for the 1-0 victory over Burnley on Sunday.

In the run-up to the match at Turf Moor, the Dutch manager spoke about how tough it was to exclude Chiesa, calling it 'one of the hardest' decisions a coach has to make, yet he praised the forward's professionalism during the pre-match press conference.

"Of course, that is one of the most difficult things you have to do as a manager," Slot said. "For a player not to play, it is not always easy to tell them but not to be in the squad is always more difficult. I just explained to him why we made this choice. Of course, he wasn't happy with that.

"I think he understood my arguments - that is not to say he agreed with them. He didn't tell me, by the way, that he didn't agree with them! But he gave me the answer you want to hear from a player, that he will be there to help the team in the cups and in the league."

Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.