Arne Slot shares how Federico Chiesa felt after being left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad

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Federico Chiesa has quickly become a cult-hero among Liverpool’s fan base.

The Reds have been in some fine form since the start of the 2025-26 Premier League season, with the Anfield outfit winning all three of their top-flight games thus far.

In fact, Chiesa even had a big impact during one of the games when his goal sent Liverpool 3-2 up against Bournemouth on the opening day of the season.

And, now that the season is fully underway and Chiesa is adamant that he won’t be leaving, Liverpool need to see a massive improvement from him.

Last season, his contribution to the team was more or less non-existent, with his performances from last term likely playing a part in Slot leaving him out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad.

Instead, Rio Ngumoha was chosen to be registered, and now, the Dutchman has given an insight into how Chiesa took the news.

Federico Chiesa ‘understood’ why Arne Slot chose to leave him out of his Champions League squad

One of the more shocking stories to have emerged from Anfield over the last couple of weeks was that Chiesa was going to have no part in Liverpool’s Champions League campaign.

Last term, the Italian played some of his best football in the Champions League, but this time around, it’s clear that Slot has different plans for the attacker.

And, while speaking in his pre-Burnley press conference, Slot revealed how the attacker took the news.

“One of the most difficult things you have to do as a manager,” he said.

“I explained to him why we made this choice. Of course he wasn’t happy. But I think he understood my argument.”

Federico Chiesa must prove his worth in the Premier League

Although Chiesa is adored by all of Liverpool’s fanbase, it’s hard to avoid the fact that he performed well below par last season.

Many expected the attacker to be the signing of the transfer window after he only cost Liverpool £10million to sign from Juventus.

Instead, they had a passenger for most of the campaign and, even though there was the odd occasion when he proved his worth, that side of him didn’t come out enough.

And, now that he’s been excluded from Slot’s Champions League squad, he’ll only have a chance to prove himself in the domestic competitions.

The Italian will likely be played in most, if not all, of the Cup games, and when looking towards his bench, Slot will likely look towards the Italian more than the likes of Ngumoha.

At the moment, it’s unclear whether this will have a positive or negative effect on Chiesa’s form, but if he manages to use it to push himself to become an even better player, it may end up being the best thing that Slot could have done for the 27-year-old.