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Curtis Jones may have gone from the Academy hope to a regular first-team player during 2020, but the midfielder is not yet considered an established senior player for Liverpool.
Young Scouser’s year began with that goal against Everton in the FA Cup and comes to an end with him having started nine of the Reds’ last 13 matches in the Premier League and Champions League.
However, such a rapid rate of development has not led Jones to feel established as a fixture on Jürgen Klopp’s side.
LFCTV GO: Watch our exclusive chat with Jones
“I have improved a lot [in 2020] but the person that I am and the player that I think I can become, I still wouldn’t say that I’m an established first-team player, ”the 19-year-old told Liverpoolfc.com.
“People like Mo, Sadio, Hendo, I think they are the ones that I would consider established players, who know that they are going to play every week. For someone like me, I am gaining experience.
“There have been some injuries, so they called me and I took a good risk. But the players are coming back now, so I have to keep playing well and keep giving the coach and staff something to think about, and I hope he can keep me in and around the team. “
We caught up with Jones before the final match of the 2020 champions at Newcastle United tonight.
Read on for No. 17’s vision of how Liverpool plan to bounce back at St. James’ Park, more of his thoughts on this year and his 2021 goals …
Curtis, it was obviously a disappointing result against West Brom. What did the coach and players say during the post-game meeting on Monday?
Well, I think I and the whole team knew exactly how they were going to play. We knew they were going to come and play deep, we knew it was going to be a little frustrating and stuff. But in the second half I think we played half in his hands; We allowed them to gain a bit of confidence and to come with some more attacks and put us on set pieces, corners and free kicks, and put us a little behind. So I think the draw was fair on their part, but I think we have to be much, much better.
The coach said after that match that the main emotion between the players was anger, so is there a real determination in the team to respond strongly against Newcastle?
Yes, definitely. I think we have to go with three points, but they have come here and they have given us a good run and they have left with one point and a draw for them. But on our behalf, I think it felt more like a loss and we deserved a little more. We had a lot of shots but it is what it is and we just have to recover well and recover quickly and we are looking forward to the Newcastle game.
I guess one of the benefits of this time of year is that there’s always another game around the corner to fix things …
Yes, definitely. The games are intense and fast, they are every three days, four days if you are lucky! So if you’ve ever had a bad game or your performance is not 100 percent, thankfully you have a game right around the corner. You have to recover well and you have to prepare to start over.
First FA Cup goal ✅ First Premier League goal ✅ First Champions League goal ✅ @ curtisjr_10 in 2020 🤩⚽️ https://t.co/kdspdkUpOv
– LFC (Liverpool FC)
December 2 12:31
This is Liverpool’s last game in 2020. It has been a great year for you personally and for the club as a whole, hasn’t it?
Yes! For me, I have had a good streak of games. I think I made a little mistake in the last game, but as a player I like to take risks. Maybe I took one in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I am a young boy, I am learning and I took it on the chin, I will recover fine. But as a team, we have had a good run of matches, we are at the top of the league, so hopefully we can finish 2020, which has been a bit of a crazy year, with a good run.
How much have you learned in the first few months of this season alone? You have been a regular starter in the Premier League and the Champions League, do you take information from all the matches at this level?
All the time, yes. Champions League matches are different than Premier League matches and then different teams come up with different formation and how they like to play. So I think it’s about taking it all in and using it in the best possible way.
Finally, what are your hopes and goals for 2021?
It’s really difficult because I’ve been on the team for a while so I wouldn’t really say [getting more] playtime and stuff. I think now with the playing time that I’m getting, I’m starting and getting complete games, then I get off the bench and stuff, I can’t really complain about that. But now I would like to start adding more goals and assists and really become a huge impact. [player] in the team, to really help the team to win and try to become a main player in the team, which I know I can do and I think the team and the squad know that I can do it too. So I think that would definitely be the main thing for 2021.
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