Arne Slot has said he is worried about his forward options for Liverpool’s demanding schedule with Diogo Jota ruled out until after the next international break and no timescale placed on Federico Chiesa’s return.
Liverpool will be without the two strikers again when they visit Brighton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. Jota has missed the past two games and will be absent for at least another four with the rib injury sustained when Chelsea’s defender Tosin Adarabioyo fell on him in at Anfield nine days ago.
It is the latest in a lengthy list of injury setbacks for the Portugal international and increases the importance of Darwin Núñez for the double-header against Brighton, the Champions League visit of Bayer Leverkusen next Tuesday and the Premier League home game against Aston Villa a week on Saturday.
Slot, asked whether he expected Jota back before the international break, which runs from 11-22 November, said: “No, it will be after that. [Harvey] Elliott the same.” Slot was unable to say when Chiesa will be available. The Italy international has struggled with injuries since arriving from Juventus in a £12.5m deal this summer and has played only 78 minutes across three appearances.
Liverpool’s head coach believes a low intensity pre-season, when Chiesa was made to train away from the first team by the new Juventus coach, Thiago Motta, have left the 27-year-old playing catch-up to reach the intensity required in the Premier League. Chiesa has been linked with a possible return to Serie A on loan in January.
“That hasn’t gone through my mind at all,” said Slot of the transfer speculation. “First and foremost it is to get him fit again. In pre-season he was in low-intensity sessions as he was only training with three or four players. To go to a high-intensity league is difficult for every player. It hasn’t been perfect yet so we are trying to find the right way to build him up and I’m fully confident that will happen.”
Slot added that it was difficult to specify when Chiesa may be available. “He goes a bit up and down,” the Dutchman said. “Sometimes he’s there with us, training for a few days, and then he goes out with injury again. I don’t put any pressure on him by coming up with dates.”
Slot admitted he did not have as many options to rotate at Brighton as he did in the last round of the Carabao Cup against West Ham, although Vitezslav Jaros could deputise for Caoimhín Kelleher in goal and full-back Conor Bradley is fit again. He said: “We’ve got six forwards and two are injured and with the schedule we have that’s a bit of a worry for me.”
