Up to this point, Arne Slot’s Liverpool hadn’t really shown visible chinks in their armour, with an EFL Cup final on the horizon and a top spot in the Premier League very firmly in their grasp.
However, after Sunday afternoon’s disastrous trip to Devon, the Reds will be concerned about the strength of their full squad, as a much-changed Liverpool side crashed out of the FA Cup 1-0 to lower league opposition Plymouth Argyle.
Slot will be disappointed with a whole host of his reserve faces after this crushing defeat on the road, therefore, particularly when it comes to the lacklustre showing of Harvey Elliott, who gifted the Pilgrims the golden penalty that sealed their gigantic Cup upset.
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Chiesa's performance in numbers
Federico Chiesa was in the exact same boat as his midfield teammate heading into this contest in Devon, with the Italian having to make do with the odd bench appearance here and there in league action.
For a talent that was once named in the Serie A team of the season, it was slightly embarrassing to see how little he could offer against a team that sat rock bottom of the second tier, regardless of how well organised and dogged the hosts were.
Minutes played
90
Touches
61
Accurate passes
19/29 (66%)
Accurate crosses
1/4
On-target shots
0
Successful dribbles
1/10
Possession lost
29x
Total duels won
4/17
He was way off his scintillating best in Italy playing at Home Park that’s for sure, with the numbers above making for some grim reading as Chiesa failed to hit a single on-target effort at Conor Hazard’s busy net.
Described as “atrocious” by one Reds content creator, the underperforming 27-year-old also only managed to complete one successful dribble from ten attempted, throw away possession a colossal 29 times and further added insult to injury by winning just 23% of his duels on the day.
Therefore, it wasn’t a great shock to see Chiesa receive some pelters after the famous FA Cup clash was over, with Daily Express journalist Amos Murphy handing out a 4/10 rating to the ex-Juventus man, stating that Slot ‘would’ve wanted more’ from a player who has shown his class on the big occasion previously in his career.
In the here and now, he floundered unfortunately, with the Reds number 14 now firmly chucked back into the reserve picture after such a drab performance.
Whilst Plymouth will still be celebrating this mammoth victory for many days to come, Slot will hope he can put this one down as a bad day at the office for his side before then returning to winning ways, with the Dutchman now well aware that his full squad can’t cut it when thrust into the spotlight.
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