Liverpool boss Slot rules out four ‘before international break’ as Chiesa update provided

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot hopes summer signing Federico Chiesa can return to the pitch after this month’s international break.

Chiesa joined Liverpool from Juventus for only £12.6million in August but has only made one start under Slot, playing 59 minutes against West Ham in the Carabao Cup.

He is one of four key players unavailable for Saturday’s Premier League match against Brighton – who the Reds beat in the cup on Wednesday.

“It is always difficult to say exactly when they [Chiesa, Alisson, Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott] will be ready as the last phase of recovery can take a few days,” said Liverpool boss Slot.

“They will not be there before the international break, maybe after.

“Chiesa will not be ready before the international break, we are hoping he can do things in the international break and he can join in with us.”

The transition from Jurgen Klopp to Slot has been seamless. In 14 matches this season, Liverpool have only lost once, sit top of the Premier League, and have won three out of three in the Champions League.

“If you are not as long with the team as I am so then you start, you learn every day from new situations,” Slot told reporters on Friday. “And I said before the Chelsea game was something I learned from them that they could sit deep and defend the lead.

“The way they came back against Arsenal was really strong. And the amount of games that we have to play, that they are still able to be available and play good football, that is also something you see.

“Then we also saw during the week that players that haven’t played that much maybe have an impact on our team as well. And we will need them during the whole season. So it’s good to see that they are already on a level they need to play for us.”

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Liverpool host Brighton after beating them 3-2 midweek and Slot thinks the league clash will be a different “because both teams didn’t start with the team they will start with on Saturday”.

“No, it’s not that strange for us in football because we are used to playing the same team maybe after a few days,” Slot said. “So it’s not weird, especially because both teams didn’t start with the team they will start with on Saturday.

“And I think for both managers it’s a positive thing because you know even more about the opponent. Although, like I just said, players make the game and it’s of course a difference if a different player plays.

“The playing style might be the same, but the qualities of the players make nine or ten times the difference. So that changes the game on Saturday, of course, compared to the one on Wednesday.”

Slot will go head to head with the youngest manager in Premier League history, Fabian Hurzeler.

“Some managers maybe need first 20 years of experience to come to this level, they need this and some talents, this is also with players the same,” the Dutchman said of the German.

“With managers as well, they just have it in their fingers. And he’s probably one of them because he’s done really well at his former club and he’s done really well till now here in England also.

“For him, experience is probably not such a big thing and maybe I had a bit the same, I think I had one and a half years of experience before I joined Feyenoord. So there are exceptions, but in general I think it’s also good to have some experience, but there are exceptions to that rule.”

Brighton head coach Hurzeler also provided team news ahead of the trip to Anfield. He said: “We have to see how Lewis [Dunk] is. We have to see also Matt O’Riley – he’s back in training – and when he will be potentially ready to be in the squad.

“Also Joao Pedro will be back in training. Some players will be back on the pitch. We have to see now how Joao’s coming back after a long injury to see if he will be an option, but he’s back in training.

“I think with Ferdi Kadioglu it’s not that bad [after being substituted on Wednesday]. Hopefully he will be an option for Saturday.”