Arne Slot Reveals the Shocking Truth Behind Federico Chiesa's Mysterious Liverpool Disappearance

Liverpool boss Arne Slot disclosed that Federico Chiesa was excluded from Tuesday's Champions League encounter against Galatasaray because of a slight fitness concern.

The Italian winger's absence from Liverpool's traveling party was particularly surprising given his excellent recent performances. Initial reports following the squad announcement suggested that Chiesa had been left out by Slot as part of a "tactical decision" rather than due to injury concerns.

Slot was swift to refute that interpretation. "He picked up a small knock, I believe that's the term you use here in England, during the last match against [Crystal] Palace," the Netherlands coach explained to the media.

"He attempted to train today, he started the session on the field but couldn't complete it, so we chose not to include him since we face Chelsea again in just a few days."

Chiesa is recording a goal or assist every 38 minutes of playing time this campaign. That influential impact from the substitutes' bench could be vital in Saturday's challenging Premier League encounter with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, though Slot will be without his impact substitute for this tricky Champions League away fixture.

'Very, Very Good'—Slot Issues Caution Before Champions League Journey

Galatasaray suffered a heavy 5–1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in their Champions League debut, but Slot was eager to quickly dismiss any hint of overconfidence. "I reviewed that match and in my opinion they were extremely, extremely, extremely unfortunate in that encounter," the analytical manager cautioned.

"The opportunities they surrendered were minimal and it was either Frankfurt's excellence or a touch of misfortune for Galatasaray that led to five conceded goals because if they replayed that identical match, they would never, ever, ever allow five goals again in the same fixture since they performed far better than the 5–1 scoreline indicated."

The current Turkish title holders have been dominant otherwise this season, securing seven consecutive domestic victories while allowing only two goals. Slot praised Okan Buruk's squad as "an extremely, extremely strong team" with "an excellent coach."

"Therefore they understand what's required to claim the championship and understand what's needed to secure victory in a football match," he observed, "so we must be ready for that challenge."