Liverpool keeper who sipped beer in changing room is proof forgotten man will get medal

winger Federico Chiesa is unlikely to be denied a Premier League winners’ medal if ‘s men clinch the title this season. The Merseyside outfit are 13 points clear at the top of the table following their 2-0 win over on Wednesday and now only require seven wins from their remaining 10 matches to clinch the title. Few would argue against the Reds being able to finish above now after stretching their lead over the Gunners in recent weeks. Slot’s players can now dream of capturing the club’s second title – their first since 2019-20 – and the requirements to earn a medal are firmly established from previous seasons.

Players who have made five or more appearances in the Premier League season are all obliged to receive a medal as they are judged as contributing to the title success. Reports suggested , given the 27-year-old has only made three appearances for the Reds in the competition, which puts him under the quota needed.

The Italian has struggled to make an impression since his £12million move from Juventus in August and has been used sparingly in the league, mainly featuring in domestic cup competitions. However, it is more likely than not that the Italy international will earn his own winners’ medal, should go on to claim the crown, as one former stopper set the precedent five years ago.

In 2019-20, won the title under . All of the usual suspects got their medal, but Harvey Elliott and Andy Lonergan – who had fallen below the number of appearances required – were allocated one too. Lonergan, who didn’t play in any competition and made the bench twice, clearly had a huge impact on the dressing room as he joined in the celebrations and famously sipped beer from the Premier League trophy.

With 10 fixtures in the season, will be expected to wrap up the title with a few games to spare – and that could give Chiesa the opportunity to get some more minutes under his belt. It would be realistic to expect him to be given at least two more substitute appearances from the bench, especially if are still fighting for silverware in the and need to rotate their squad to maintain freshness.

In addition to this, the Premier League give the title winners 40 medals to hand out to their players, staff and officials. Only 21 players at would be eligible for a medal under the five appearances rule, while Slot’s backroom staff would only represent seven medals in total.

The Dutchman would get the cherished prize along with assistants Sipke Hulshoff and John Heitinga. Aaron Briggs and Fabian Otte would get one too as they sit on the bench on matchdays.

Further staff who are likely to be given medals are the likes of physical performance coach Ruben Peeters and goalkeeping expert Claudio Taffarel, who play a key role in training and wider preparations.

Even after exhausting those medal choices, there would still be 12 remaining for their fringe squad members.

Chiesa would be poised to get one, along with third-choice goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros and Jayden Danns, the only other players to feature in the Premier League while falling below the criteria.