Slot warns not to get ‘carried away’ with Liverpool gem despite ‘good first step’ v Accrington
Arne Slot will have had plenty of reasons to smile after Liverpool dispatched Accrington Stanley 4-0 in his first FA Cup match in charge of the Reds.
There was a senior debut for Rio Ngumoha, a thunderbolt from Trent Alexander-Arnold, another impressive cameo in this competition from Jayden Danns and a first goal for the club for Federico Chiesa.
The Italian looked for all the world like an astute cut-price signing when joining from Juventus at the end of last summer’s transfer window, although he’s had to be patient for opportunities after an injury-ravaged first four months on Merseyside, with today being only his fifth appearance for the club.
Slot circumspect about Chiesa’s performance
Speaking to ITV after the match, Slot was delighted for the 27-year-old but tempered his enthusiasm by pointing to Accrington’s status in the fourth tier of English football.
The Liverpool head coach said of Chiesa: “It’s definitely a good first step, but as much as I liked the way Accrington Stanley played, we have to take into consideration that we are talking about a League Two [team].
“Still, you have to score a goal or do well, and it’s good to have him back on the pitch. That’s the most important thing and I like that he scored. He was a threat as well, but let’s not get carried away with a half of special things against a League Two team.”
Slot then challenged the Italy forward to build on that display, acknowleding that ‘he needs to get a chance’ in order to do so and promising that the Reds’ number 14 ‘will definitely have more playing time than he had in the first half of the season’.
Chiesa has a solid platform to build upon
Yes, Accrington may be 19th in League Two, but there was plenty to like about their performance at Anfield today, and the same rings true for Chiesa.
His goal came at the end of a second half in which he recorded six shots, one of which struck the post and two which hit the side netting, while another effort rebounded to Jayden Danns for Liverpool’s third goal of the afternoon.
Whereas Darwin Nunez endured a frustrating afternoon against Stanley, his fellow forward made the most of his chance to impress Slot – something he’s had scant opportunity to do since the summer – and there’s now a solid platform for the 27-year-old to build upon.
The Reds boss is right to state that this needs to be more than just an eye-catching one-off performance from Chiesa, but if the Italian can stave off the fitness problems which ruined the final months of 2024 for him, he’ll surely have a big part to play for the Anfield giants in the second half of the season.
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