It has not been the best of beginnings to his Liverpool career for Federico Chiesa so far in 2024. His extensive injury woes have followed him to England and he has only made a handful of appearances for Arne Slot and only one start.
Now, the Reds attack has not suffered in his absence as the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez have all shown at some point this season.
However, with reports surfacing that he should be returning to fitness over this international break, adding him into the fold will see a strength get just a bit stronger. However, what can the Italy international bring at this point if he is indeed, fully fit?
Proven at the highest levels
Chiesa has played against the best of the best as he was one of the best players for Italy on their journey to winning the delayed European Championships just after Covid struck.
He has scored eight Champions League goals in his career while with Fiorentina and Juventus in Italy. So, he knows how to create goals and make things happen against the best competition in club football.
Liverpool will not ask him to shoulder the load in attack, he will most likely be an experienced and gifted weapon off the bench that could be brought on to change a marquee matchup.
You can't teach experience and calm, so having a player at their disposal that has played in the biggest games this sport has to offer can only be a good thing for the squad as a whole.
He has shown he can be a big-game player and that self-belief should serve him well, especially surrounded by the talent on offer for the Reds.
In addition to his great professional Moxy, a fully fit Chiesa brings several other assets to the Reds.
Positional versatility in attack
We all know that Chiesa does his best work as a technical dribbler on the wing when he can run at defenders and create space for himself and others.
Having said that, there are instances where he was needed to play through the middle and he was able to do a job there as well. Even playing as an attacking midfielder hybrid could suit his game as well.
This kind of versatility in a forward is a huge reason the club made a move for him this summer as he could rotate in for several different players depending on the day and need. His confidence going forward and willingness to run at defenses also suits how the other forwards like to play in this team.
If he truly can be 100% healthy, there is no reason that he cannot have a significant impact for the club not only for the rest of 2024, but the season as a whole.
It would be foolish to expect him to be fit for the remainder of this season, but if he is available for 75-80% of that time, would anyone be shocked to see 7-11 goals and 3-5 assists from him? His talent is still there, he just needs minutes to get true match fitness before he can really impact matches.
He is a great option for Slot to have in his toolbox when preparing for opponents, and if he really is healthy once again, Federico Chiesa might be ready to remind the world just how good he truly is.