Why Joe Gomez & Federico Chiesa were dropped from the Liverpool squad to take on Bournemouth - revealed

Following Liverpool’s disappointing midweek loss to PSV Eindhoven, Slot made significant changes, restoring nine key players to the starting XI. This selection mirrored the side that beat Ipswich Town 4-1 in their previous league outing.

Chiesa played a pivotal role in Liverpool’s two goals against PSV, registering both assists and earning praise from Slot. However, according toThe Athletic, the fierce competition for attacking spots forced Slot to leave him out of the squad. Whereas, Gomez’s omission was somewhat expected, given that he had only recently returned to training after being sidelined since December with a hamstring injury.

Slot acknowledged that Liverpool's incredible squad depth is concerning for Chiesa.

"His main problem is he is in competition with Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota. I think you’ll agree with me that they are doing quite well also," Slot said after the PSV loss.

A lack of pre-season and subsequent injuries have hampered Chiesa's development. Since joining Liverpool, he has played just 280 minutes in total. This lack of game time has led to speculation about a possible return to Serie A. While his agent has dismissed such rumours, Chiesa’s continued exclusion from matchday squads could increase the likelihood of a move in the summer.

With Liverpool fighting for silverware on multiple fronts, Chiesa will be hoping for another opportunity to prove himself. His next chance to feature could come when The Reds face Tottenham in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal on February 6.