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“Curtis is Curtis. Our boy. Thank God. Imagine if you have to sign him? He’s been here for four years and he wants to stay, so he’s a first-class player.”
That was Jurgen Klopp’s take after witnessing Curtis Jones’ last impressive performance in Liverpool’s dramatic 2-1 win over Tottenham at Anfield on Wednesday.
Klopp has been deprived of some key players this season, but another has emerged and the young midfielder’s ability to fill the void left by others may prove to be the crucial factor in helping Liverpool retain their Premier League title.
Bukayo Saka is the only teenager in the competition to have played more minutes than the 19-year-old Jones, but he is doing so in a struggling Arsenal. Jones is contributing to the team at the top of the table – the reigning Premier League champions.
Does that make it easier or more difficult? Maybe it’s easier to fit in. To keep things going and try not to seem out of place. Jones accomplished that job for much of November.
More difficult, however, to make a real impression. To outshine the stars. That’s what Jones did in what Jamie Carragher described as a man of the match performance against Tottenham.
The pace was frantic, but Jones not only followed it, he dictated it. His count of 105 successful passes was the highest of all on the field and 81 of them came in the middle of the opposition. The entire Tottenham team only completed 57 passes in the Liverpool half.
There was a back drag and a square ball to drive his side away again in the second half that just radiated confidence. Jones has said that “the last thing I’ll do is doubt myself” and that is now evident in his game. There is a growing maturity in his game.
The quality was already there, of course. His curved winner in the Merseyside derby FA Cup clash against Everton last season revealed it. The repeated punch in another man-of-the-game performance against Lincoln earlier this season was proof that it wasn’t just one time.
But Jones has needed time to adjust to the new environment. Just because you can do those things doesn’t mean you always have to. Their decision-making has had to improve because their role in the group is different, as Klopp has explained.
“That’s what he had to learn in recent years because he was absolutely exceptional and perhaps the best player in every age group he was in,” said the Liverpool manager.
“He has made huge strides in that department.”
In a sense, less is more. Taking that 30-yard throw every other time can make sense if you’re the best player on the team. When Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are racing to receive the ball in front of you, an alternative option might be more logical.
Jones has had to cut back on his game and is now adding those touches of finesse that he is capable of. “Doing the right things at the right times,” as Klopp says.
What is clear is that there is a desire to learn. Jones says he likes to study his own game and Klopp describes him as a hardworking kid who loves comment and analysis.
The biggest indication that Jones is responding to the demands of him is the trust his manager is placing in him. Klopp recently said in September that “Curtis knows there is a lot of room for improvement, like being in a 90+ minute game, being really involved.” Look at the faith that has been shown in him since then.
Before this season, Jones had started only one Premier League game. He did not complete his first 90 minutes until November 22 in a 3-0 win over Leicester. Now, Klopp has kept him on the field throughout the game in each of Liverpool’s last three Premier League games.
“And now, the door is open,” says the boss. “The plan is to use it as often as possible.”
If Jones shows up at Crystal Palace on Saturday, he will have played more Premier League minutes this season than Diogo Jota. He is already well ahead of Thiago Alcantara.
Much of the attention has focused on what the new signings could add and what Liverpool could lose as a result of injuries to key players like Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.
But Jones’s appearance could simply reframe the debate. The injury crisis was an opportunity and it is an opportunity that has been seized. A month ago Liverpool had a young talent hoping to fill a void. They now have a player that they are adding to their game.
When the story of the season is told, that could be decisive.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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