The fall of one Liverpool star on full display as Arne Slot’s next decision set to decide future
Liverpool boss Arne Slot could have a huge impact on the future of one of his outcasted stars with his team selection against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
Liverpool have picked up in 2025-26 where they left off last season, with six wins from as many games to start the season off with clear intent to win more silverware.
Arne Slot‘s side cruised to the Premier League title in 2024-25, but they did not win any other trophies as they fell short in the FA Cup fourth round, Champions League round of 16 and were beaten in the Carabao Cup final by Newcastle in March.
The latter competition has started back up again for the new campaign, with the Reds welcoming recently-relegated Southampton to Anfield on Tuesday (23 September) for third round action.
Slot is expected to make major changes to his usual starting eleven for league and European games, and one particular Liverpool star should see the Saints’ clash as potentially his last chance to prove his worth to the club and his manager if he is handed a start.
Federico Chiesa is a fallen giant as Liverpool struggles continue
Federico Chiesa joined Liverpool last summer from Juventus for a cut-price fee of around £10million [The Guardian], but struggled for game-time upon his arrival on Merseyside
The Italy international came into the side more often towards the end of the campaign, and he eventually helped Slot’s side to win the Premier League title with six appearances.
Former scout Mick Brown revealed to Football Insider in June that Liverpool were planning to accept offers for Chiesa in the summer after a disappointing first season at the club, with Slot content to see him depart.
He remained at the club throughout the window, however, and even scored a huge goal in the Reds’ season-opener against Bournemouth last month, but has only featured fleetingly off the bench in three of their last four league outings.
Chiesa was not even named in Liverpool’s Champions League squad, so needs to take his chances in either the league or cup when he is given a rare start, which could be against second-tier Southampton on Tuesday.
Arne Slot’s lineup to face Southampton crucial to Chiesa’s Anfield future
Slot has already confirmed that a number of his first-team stars will not take part against Southampton, admitting after the Merseyside derby on Saturday (20 September) that fans “won’t be seeing” the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Mohamed Salah, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Chiesa will be buoyed by Salah’s absence, and the sheer fact that the Dutch boss is planning to rotate so heavily proves that he is surely in line to be handed a rare starting berth.
Chiesa’s last competitive Reds start came all the way back in February in the FA Cup away at Plymouth Argyle, and he failed to take his chance that day as the hosts came away with a famous 1-0 victory.
His latest potential chance to impress from the off feels like a complete make-or-break for his Anfield career, especially after Football Insider recently revealed that Chiesa could be on his way out of Liverpool in January with opportunities set to be at a premium.