Arne Slot has done very little wrong during his debut season manning the touchline for Liverpool Football Club. He has steered the club to a Premier League title with four matches to spare in his maiden season. It's wonderful.
We've seen players level up to unexpected heights and more under his tutelage. On the whole, the Dutchman has been a smashing success as the replacement for Jurgen Klopp.
However, there is one thing that he has not done very well in my view this season, and that is his handling of summer arrival Federico Chiesa.
A modest fee does not have to mean a fringe player
Liverpool signed the Italy international this past summer for just under £13 milion. At the time, it was seen as a real coup as he is a player that has produced on the international stage and also for a big club like Juventus.
His biggest drawback was staying healthy, and his early tenure at Anfield was mired by injury. However, at his price, there was no rush to get him on the pitch.
So, Slot kept tinkering and found the lineup and few subs he trusted and liked and kept putting them out there, and the results followed.
However, as Chiesa recovered from injury, he still could not find any opportunities to break through into the first team.
January was his most active month of this season for the Reds as he made a substitute appearance against Lille in the Champions League before playing the full 90 against PSV, a game where he notched an assist.
Relegated to mop-up duty
Fede scored his first Liverpool goal in the Liverpool romp over Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup where he looked sharp again for his 45 minutes.
He played a combined 7 minutes against Brentford and Ipswich in the Premier League to wrap the month of January.
It's nearly impossible for any kind of player to make a meaningful impact with such limited opportunities. He was just a placeholder to get Salah or another forward an ovation for their work that day.
Chiesa did start and play the full 90 minutes in the disastrous FA Cup loss to Plymouth Argyle. Yet, he seemed to be punished for that while Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, who both also played 90 minutes, were seemingly let off the hook.
Slot has said several times Chiesa needed to work on fitness and he was working hard, but yet, his chances to get truly match fit never came.
Making the most of it
The League Cup Final saw Newcastle United overrun the Reds and there was no energy and punch. It wasn't until the game was nearly over that Slot threw all attackers on the pitch.
Lo and behold, it was Chiesa who scored a fine goal on the break to put a momentary unease into things before the eventual final whistle.
Did that garner him more trust with the Dutchman? Clearly not as he once again vanished from sight before popping up to play a whole 8 minutes in the loss at Craven Cottage in early April. He went unused in the next three matches before getting a resounding 8 minutes again at Stamford Bridge.
He deserves More
Overall, Federico Chiesa has played 13 times this season for a grand total of 403 minutes. That's an average of 31 minutes per appearance, but that is boosted by a few 90 minute outings.
He has 2 goals and 2 assists in that limited time and has shown glimpses of the talent we know is there. Having a player of the proven caliber that Chiesa is wasting away as an unused sub or not even making the bench is negligence as a manager or coach.
Once again I love Arne and the work he has done for the club and will continue to do so. However, this is one that he has gotten so very wrong.
When Jota has been a shell of himself, Darwin Nunez has plateaued and Cody Gakpo missed time with injury, there is no reason why Curtis Jones should be playing winger while Chiesa is on the bench in a coat.
Slot has not gotten much wrong this season, but his gross misuse of Federico Chiesa is a glaring one and could result in the player's departure this summer.
In that scenario, I won't blame the player, but the coach and club would have my ire.