“Chiesa was deemed unfit”. Is that a comment on the level of training that our players have / have had? How can a professional footballer be unfit in March after a full season of training sessions?
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He judged himself unfit in the first part of the season, but yeah, there are some valid questions about the physical state of the whole team (or preparation from last summer) which, let’s be honest, we’ll never find out.
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“Unfit” in this context typically refers to health/injury risk not conditioning. That is what he’s cited in turning down his prior call ups and I assume what is being referred to here.
However, there are also massive questions about our conditioning as a squad, both in terms of our ability to keep working through a full 90 mins, but also how it relates to our ability to tolerate the stresses of a competitive schedule.
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How embarrassing must it be to see one of your players go on international duty in March, 80% of the way through the season, only to see him sent back because he’s unfit.
Says a lot about the behind the scenes at Liverpool right now.
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He always looks fat and lacks muscle, imo.
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Reminds me of Sturridge.
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Yes but he is even more brittle than that.
Shame he is a really nice talented lad.
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I am really surprised Gatusso keeps giving him a chance after being turned down the first time. He strikes as the sort who would take it a mortal insult to turn down the chance to represent Italy even 1 time.
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Maybe he sees value in him as a player though?
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Maybe he needs someone to bring on to rescue them if they are 2-0 down with 5 minutes plus added time left…
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Italy need every bit of quality (and experience Fede has) so of course they’re counting on Chiesa and evaluating him every international break. This time he obviously accepted the call up and went there. Even before Gattuso, Spalletti said he thinks it’s better for him to go back Serie A (rather than remain at Liverpool). Which will probably be the case this summer.
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so what are the facts here…
is he unfit becuase his conditioning poor? which i would find astounding… or is he carrying a knock? which id also find astounding for different reasons, unless he bumped his leg on the coffee table or something
We don’t know. He also felt unwell a few times this season that made him suddenly unavailable for games. Players can be unfit and get little injuries or setbacks during seasons as well, they obviously don’t only walk around coffee tables.
Gattuso:
“Not everyone is the same. Footballers’ minds aren’t all alike. When I hear he has problems, that he’s hesitant, I have to make a decision.
“We decided together because he didn’t feel up to it; he went back home, and I accepted it. I can try to convince him for a while, but I always think that in life, beyond a match, relationships matter.
“I don’t have great medical expertise, but if someone isn’t feeling well, you shouldn’t insist. If he ends up damaging his knee, how is that player supposed to look at me?
“So I don’t push it - I make him understand. When someone feels they’re not at 100%, it’s right that they go home.”
Interestingly they have a policy that injured players still report and stay with the squad. Those comments were in specific response to why Chiesa was leaving when the other injured players were staying with the squad as per that policy
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Don’t know about that, but if it’s true, that’s a pretty shit policy. I know in Croatia we also sometimes double check players just returning from injury or players under doubt, carrying a knock or an issue. Extra check, they get to see their families if it’s such a situation, but if there’s little to zero sense for them to remain with the squad, they’re sent back to their clubs because that’s where they’re treated most of the time.
Gattuso was asked why Chiesa had been singled out when injured players like Sandro Tonali, Gianluca Scamacca and Alessandro Bastoni are staying with the team. The former AC Milan coach announced when he took over from the fired Luciano Spalletti in June that injured players would remain with the squad to improve team spirit. “Because not every player has the same frame of mind,” Gattuso said. “When I hear that someone is wavering that’s when I know I need to make a choice. We decided it together. He felt he wasn’t up to it and he went home. I need to accept it.”
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That’s fine, if there are players who are also willing to remain with the squad (like when Guimaraes was on the bench for Newcastle in Paris against PSG, but unavailable). In the stands or whatever.
But having a strict policy of injured players remaining with the squad by default is pretty dumb and I wonder if it’s true at all. There’s one example, maybe there were more.