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“I hope he defends like a soldier and attacks like a Scouser,” said Jurgen Klopp when asked about Curtis Jones before Saturday’s game against West Ham United.
The teenager got off to an unusual start to the Premier League in a 2-1 win, lining up alongside Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum in midfield. This was an opportunity, with Thiago and Naby Keita absent, to get the attention of their coach.
However, it was a slightly restrained performance from Jones, who withdrew after 70 minutes and was replaced by the more spirited Xherdan Shaqiri. It seemed that the young man was shackled by his responsibility in midfield, unable to express himself as he would have liked.
There was certainly no lack of work without the ball. Jones pushed and harassed, and Klopp couldn’t have complaints with that side of his game. However, when the ball was at his feet, he lacked the usual verve and cunning. Too often, he chose to play a safe pass, and the result was that most of the creative responsibility fell on the top three.
West Ham, to their credit, was tenacious and persistent in their defense, ensuring spaces were closed. It was a difficult night for Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino as well, and it took an excellent pass from Shaqiri and an equally accomplished finish from Diogo Jota at the end to open the door.
Still, he had the feeling that Jones was a little out of place. He has looked his best for Liverpool’s first team in cup competitions, when Klopp has rotated a lot. In those games, Jones has often been the main man, the standout actor among a group of young, inexperienced players. You seem to thrive on that added responsibility.
That was not the case on Saturday, nor against Ajax in the Champions League last month. In both games, Jones started but was substituted after struggling to win. It may be that you are still on the bigger stage, simply needing time to adjust to the pace and demands of this level.
Jones is not short of talent, clearly. Technically he is exceptional, a creative attacking midfielder in the mold of Philippe Coutinho, capable of finding space between the lines and wreaking havoc against opposing defenses.
From a positional standpoint, Jones still seems to adapt to his role in left midfield three. That side of his game should develop over time, although it might be better suited to a more advanced role.
The problem then turns to placing Jones in an attacking position. It won’t go into the top three while Salah, Mane and Firmino are in their prime. Liverpool played 4-2-3-1 against Sheffield United last weekend, but even with that system, Jota is almost certain to be the man selected for the additional attacking position.
In the future, it could be that Jones and Jota will operate together as part of an attacking quartet. Both are significantly younger than the current three forwards, all of whom are approaching 30 years old. For now, however, the dilemma remains for Klopp. He will be fully aware of Jones’ talent. The youngster is a player with the potential to fully establish himself as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez have done in recent years.
Right now, however, fitting Jones into such a delicately balanced system is proving difficult.
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