There were not a lot of positives to take from Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle.
Arne Slot’s men did not show up at Wembley on Sunday and deservingly fell short at the hands of the Magpies, who claimed their first domestic trophy in 70 years with a 2-1 win.
Robbie Fowler believes Virgil van Dijk was the only Liverpool player who performed in the Carabao Cup final as the Merseyside cub’s attention now turns to the Premier League.
It has been a tough week for the Reds as the Premier League leaders were also eliminated from the Champions League but according to Darren Bent, Slot has received one ‘big positive’ ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
- READ MORE: Arne Slot owes Federico Chiesa a big apology after Liverpool’s Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle
Federico Chiesa’s Carabao Cup display a ‘bonus’ for Liverpool
Federico Chiesa arrived at Liverpool last summer as part of a £12.5m deal with Juventus and despite that bargain price tag, the winger’s move to Anfield has been very underwhelming.
The Italian has barely featured this season at Liverpool, leaving Jamie Carragher to believe Slot doesn’t trust Chiesa.
The 27-year-old was given a small opportunity to shine in the Carabao Cup final and the winger grabbed it with both hands by scoring the Reds’ only goal of the match.
Speaking in the aftermath of the Wembley contest, Bent stated on talkSPORT that the display of Chiesa was a ‘big positive’ and that it will hand Slot a ‘bonus’ heading into next season.
“I thought Chiesa was a big positive,” the pundit said. “We’ve not seen him play that well probably since 2021 in the Euros for Italy, where I thought, ‘oh my goodness’ this guy is one of the best players in the world.
“He lost his way a little bit last couple of years, injuries, lack of form. He’s gone to Liverpool, where everyone’s waiting for him to get going.
“That was a nice cameo yesterday, coming on, scoring the goal. He looked sharp, looked positive, so that’s that’s a bonus, going into next season.”
The Carabao Cup final was Chiesa’s best moment in a Liverpool shirt but despite scoring in such a high-profile game, it may not be enough to save his Anfield career.
Too late to save Federico Chiesa’s Liverpool career
The signing of Chiesa came with very little risk but the upside Liverpool hoped may come with that did not arrive this season.
The Italian has struggled at Anfield and injuries have played a big part in that, which most likely stems from the winger not having a proper pre-season due to uncertainty over his future at Juventus.
Slot has shown very little faith in the 27-year-old, evident in the 387 of action he has received throughout the season, and there have been times when Chiesa has been given opportunities, but the Italian has not performed.
Chiesa’s Carabao Cup final display may see him receive more minutes throughout the rest of the current campaign and the winner may also play well.
However, the former Juventus star would need to put in some memorable performances as his Liverpool faith has most likely already been decided.