If you were to rewind time to the start of the summer and hazard a guess at the major signing Liverpool would make in attack, you’d probably go through a fair few names before getting to Federico Chiesa.
Juventus have been trying to sell the Italy international all window long, and they have reached an agreement to send him to the Reds for around £11m.
With a patchy injury record and a steady decline heading into his prime years, it’s understandable why other clubs have passed on Chiesa.
But at such a low price and a long-standing admiration in the player, it’s equally easy to realise just why Liverpool are ready to take this punt.
Chiesa’s versatility and proficiency at playing anywhere across the front line could serve Arne Slot’s new-look Reds across a long and gruelling season. There’s method behind the supposed madness.
Here are the various ways in which Liverpool could line up with Chiesa.
- On the left
For the sake of ease, we’ll work from left to right, shall we?
The problem for Chiesa in playing from the left is this is where Liverpool are most stacked. Luis Diaz is yet to cede control of that spot since Slot’s summer arrival, despite fierce competition from Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez.
Nevertheless, inverted wingers are still all the rage, and if Chiesa’s pace is already diminishing, it’d be a hell of a lot easier adapting to the Premier League coming inside rather than heading to the byline.
Possible lineups
- 4-3-3 – Salah, Jota, Chiesa
- 4-3-3 – Salah, Gakpo, Chiesa
- 4-3-3 – Salah, Nunez, Chiesa
Off the centre forward:
Juventus tended to play without wingers when Chiesa was at the club, instead resorting to Max Allegri’s trusty (and faulty) 3-5-2. During that time, Chiesa would often play behind a more physical striker.
Now, Liverpool don’t have a forward as powerful or beastly as Dusan Vlahovic, but they do have players like the aforementioned Gakpo and Nunez who could fulfil a similar role.
The problem would be fitting them into a system which doesn’t disrupt their other attackers. Still, it’s nice to have options, and an astute tactician like Slot will have fun trying to find a use for all of them.
Possible lineups
- 4-4-1-1 – Chiesa; Gakpo
- 4-4-1-1 – Chiesa; Nunez
- 4-4-1-1 – Chiesa; Jota
As a lone striker:
A more obvious central role in Liverpool’s default system would be as a No. 9.
Again, Gakpo and Nunez are capable of playing there too, but in fact it has been Diogo Jota who has impressed early on in Slot’s tenure.
Should Chiesa still retain that quick jink and burst beyond the last line, maybe he too could start as a striker.
Possible lineups
- 4-3-3 – Salah, Chiesa, Diaz
- 4-3-3 – Salah, Chiesa, Gakpo
- 4-3-3 – Salah, Chiesa, Nunez
- 4-3-3 – Salah, Chiesa, Jota
On the right:
Are we expecting Mohamed Salah to lose his spot at right wing anytime soon? No.
Are we expecting Federico Chiesa to put up a fight to start at right wing? Also no.
But Liverpool now have two kinds of depth to help manage their Egyptian king’s minutes, with Harvey Elliott the like-for-like leftie replacement and Chiesa the natural winger option.
Possible lineups
- 4-3-3 – Chiesa, Jota, Diaz
- 4-3-3 – Chiesa, Gakpo, Diaz
- 4-3-3 – Chiesa, Nunez, Diaz.
What we know
- Liverpool to sign Federico Chiesa from Juventus
- Italy international capable of playing anywhere across front line
- How the Reds could line up with versatile attacker.