Federico Chiesa Reacts to Playing First Full 90 Since Joining Liverpool
Injuries and fitness have limited Chiesa’s opportunities since joining in the summer and he played his first full match for Liverpool against PSV on Wednesday.
With Liverpool locked into the top two, the Reds’ went into their final Champions League league phase match against PSV on Wednesday knowing the result probably wouldn’t make a difference to their long-term aspirations of winning Europe’s premier cup competition.
That made the eventual 3-2 defeat easier to take, especially with results elsewhere meaning they held on to top spot. That doesn’t mean the game didn’t have value on an individual level, though, with heavy rotation giving chances to a number of players who haven’t gotten many this season.
“I have to thank the coach and the staff for giving me the possibility to play the 90 minutes tonight,” forward Federico Chiesa said following what was his first start for his new club in the league or Europe since joining last summer. “For me it was great because I needed it.
“I needed it for everything and since I joined Liverpool I wanted to prove myself and I couldn’t for many reasons, and tonight getting 90 minutes was great. There is room for improvement, room to get better and be at the best of my game, but we have a great team and it’s hard to play.”
Chiesa has struggled with injuries and match fitness since joining Liverpool from Juventus—something that wasn’t entirely unexpected and played a big part in a player once counted amongst the top young forwards in Europe being available for just £10M last summer.
The 27-year-old has begun to see a trickle of opportunities this month, though, and while at times he has looked a player who hasn’t played much over the past year or two due to those issues, there have been flashes of great promise and on Wednesday he earned the penalty that opened the scoring.
“I’m playing with great players in a great team,” Chiesa added. “We are so focused on every competition—we want to challenge for the title, for the Champions League, for the Carabao Cup, for the FA Cup. There is a great atmosphere and I am enjoying myself here.
“Of course I didn’t get the chance to play for many reasons so this was my first 90 minutes for a while but I’m just happy tonight and I am enjoying being at the club because Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in the world and the fanbase is just amazing, and playing at Anfield gives me shivers.”
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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