Liverpool boss Arne Slot confirmed that Federico Chiesa will be added to his Champions League team and replace the injured Giovanni Leoni. Reds is taking advantage of new rules introduced by UEFA this season. Earlier this month, it was reported that the club will be given the freedom to make temporary changes to the team in the event of an injury.
The rules state that if a player is injured and is unlikely to feature by Matchday Six, they can be replaced by a teammate that was not previously included. Liverpool got an advantage by bringing Chiesa to their group instead of Summer signing Leoni. The young defender suffered a ligament injury to his knee against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, eliminating him for a long time.
Slot confirmed the change on Friday, saying, “(That’s true. Leoni will tear his ACL and he will come out for about a year.
“But he’s still very young and has been around for years after such a terrible injury. We’ve looked into this process (changing the Champions League team).
“Some people do this. If I’m notified correctly, if the player has been out for more than two months, we can replace him. So we’re looking into it.”
Slot also revealed that his Liverpool players have been gathering around Leoni since his catastrophic injuries were confirmed after the Southampton match.
“There are a few examples of Virgil (Van Dijk) and Joe (Gomez) and many examples from around the world (the players are back),” said Reds Manager.
“It hurts a lot more when you get closer to retirement, but that’s far from ideal. Surgeons and rehabilitation people are important, but I hope you can do this with the players around you who have experienced this.
“They can give the right energy at the right moment. Our players have shown a lot of compassion for him and they won’t stop.”
Liverpool have won every game in every tournament since Community Shield was defeated by Crystal Palace.
Looking forward to the fixture, Slot says: “I find it difficult to score against the Palace, and I scored one goal in three games.
“You tell me now they hold a clean sheet, then we’ve been able to score, they’ve improved.
“It’s because of the way they play and line up 5-4-1, but it’s not easy to create, so it’s wise to score as quickly as possible. Working as hard as stopping the score can get a winner.
“We see teams who are unhappy with the transition, but we understand that we can continue our work and win late as long as we’re on the level. We need to bring this into every game, especially against the palace, a big threat to the counter and set pieces.”
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