Rino Gattuso explains Federico Chiesa’s exclusion from Italy: “He doesn’t feel 100%”

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Federico Chiesa has been left out of the latest Italy squad for the matches against Estonia and Israel in World Cup qualification.

The Liverpool man has had a mixed start to the English season, with two goals in five Premier League outings and a starring role in the Reds’ 2-1 win over Southampton in the EFL Cup.

However, the 27-year-old has struggled to find consistent game time in Arne Slot’s ranks. This also hasn’t been helped by a recent knock against Crystal Palace, which saw him miss both Champions League action at the end of September and the Chelsea defeat just last weekend (L2-1).

In his press conference, Azzurri manager Gennaro Gattuso spoke of his latest batch of call-ups. Beginning with a look back to the previous international break, he explained, “There’s a lot to fix compared to September, but there were also positive things. Against Israel, we opened things up, and then someone up there loved us and we brought it home.

“We need to improve our attitude. We need to sense the danger. It’s not a question of formations, but of sensing the danger and performing well with the whole team.”

Building on this sense of improvement, the 47-year-old former Milan favourite and World Cup winner with Italy spoke about Chiesa’s omission from the selection.

“I have a long chat with Fede every week, and he knows what I think about him, but then you have to respect what a player tells you. He doesn’t feel 100% and wants to be 100% well; that’s the truth. I have to say the situation is much better now than a month ago. He’s got a lot more playing time, and that’s important.”

Gattuso had said quite the same thing during the previous international break, revealing that Chiesa had rejected a call-up. Now, the exact reason for the rejection remains up in the air.

GIFN | Max Bradfield