It hasn’t been the start to the season that Arne Slot might have hoped for at Liverpool, with a shaky start, albeit a winning start, now preceding a three-match losing run that has accentuated the flaws running through the squad.
But adversity is there to be overcome in football, and the Premier League champions have so much quality and confidence in themselves. Teething problems after a summer spending spree are to be expected, and now the onus is on returning to action after the October international break with fresh impetus and focus.
Chelsea struck late to win against the Reds on Sunday, but there’s no hiding from the lack of attacking coherence in the second half. Some fans were confused by Slot’s decision to keep Federico Chiesa on the bench.
Slot must use Federico Chiesa
Last summer, Liverpool’s only addition, purchased from Juventus for a cut-price £12.5m fee. The versatile forward has long been highly regarded for his technical quality and potency in the final third, but injuries have eaten away at his one-time prodigious potential.
But he scarcely played last year, with fitness problems and criticisms from Slot keeping him on the fringes. Excluded from Liverpool’s pre-season tour across the pond, Chiesa’s time on Merseyside looked to have wrapped up.
And yet he stayed, and yet he now plays a big role at Liverpool, one of the most dangerous and effective attacking threats across the opening months of the season.
Hugo Ekitike
10
5 (1)
Mohamed Salah
10
3 (3)
Federico Chiesa
6
2 (2)
Cody Gakpo
10
2 (2)
Alexander Isak
6
1 (1)
Rio Ngumoha
5
1 (0)
This revival is nice to see. Will it last? Slot continues to be hesitant in giving Chiesa a star role, and given that Mohamed Salah’s eventual departure will warrant a big-money replacement, Chiesa might find his renaissance is short-lived.
Because Rio Ngumoha has already disrupted FSG’s transfer plans, and his rise to the top could come at the expense of the Italian’s game time.
Rio Ngumoha could end Chiesa's Liverpool career
Liverpool poached Ngumoha from Chelsea in 2024, and what a coup it is turning out to be. John Terry knew it, saying he was “gutted” to watch the electric winger leave for a Premier League rival.
But Chelsea’s loss is Liverpool’s gain. The 17-year-old Ngumoha showed flashes last season, starting for the seniors in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley, and now he has raised his game under Slot’s wing, having featured five times already.
His dribbling and directness have been met by promising physical growth that has not yet finished.
Ngumoha will continue to be guided through adolescence, but the coaches are very much aware they have a prodigy on their hands, with the lad’s long-time youth coach Saul Isaksson-Hurst saying, “I don’t say it lightly, he is one of the best academy talents I have come across, and I have seen some top players become superstars.”
The composure and awareness to find space and score against Newcastle in August tells of the potential, and though he predominantly plays off the left flank, Ngumoha’s bearing is such that he could play across the frontline, an art mastered by teammate Chiesa.
Chiesa, 28 this month, will play a big part at Liverpool this season, but it’s difficult to see him reach the highest level in Slot’s squad. This, however, couldn’t be further away from Ngumoha’s pathway, for the “frightening” talent – as said by reporter Lewis Bower – is viewed as a one-of-a-kind prospect.
It’s crazy to think that Ngumoha only turned 17 in August, four days after firing the winner into Nick Pope’s net. The best, surely, is still to come from this one, and as he develops into a Premier League starter, and hopes of Chiesa establishing himself in an even bigger role at Liverpool are likely to come to nought, sad as that may be.
