Curtis Jones embodies everything that makes Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool special

In many ways, Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday night served as a microcosm of the season.

It was a fragmented lineup, with youth products replacing the established first team. And it was a fractured game drenched in fatigue; Brief flashes of genuine quality too often to give way to periods of languid you-got-a-go, we’ll-have-a-go-languid disguised back and forth.

It wasn’t fatigue in the ‘can’t run anymore’ sense, there were still bursts of an obviously gassed Gini Wijnaldum and an Andy Robertson struggling with a punch. It was fatigue in the sense of lack of acuity, in a touch too heavy, a pass at a pace behind the receiver and the general staccato. It was fatigue in the sense of ‘I’m only going to hit this now because tapping another tap to make the opening will be work and I’m tired’, you can almost see Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Wijnaldum seep through the screen.

So it will be this season. It will be difficult to get full 90 minute presentations. The victories will depend on a moment or two of brilliance or a mistake: a big save from a goalkeeper or a mistake on the other end.

For much of Tuesday night, Ajax dictated the terms. Liverpool were happy to play on the counter, soaking up the pressure before attempting to launch with Salah, Diogo Jota and Mané, a lean and fast frontline built to burst behind Ajax’s sturdier unit.

There are some possibilities, or, more accurately, possibilities of having possibilities. But it is true that the openings that should have been divided and separated totaled about three each.

And that’s okay. It was a complicated spell for Jurgen Klopp’s team. Ensuring the ASA-and-P rating is all that matters. That allows Klopp and his staff to buy a little extra rest for their front-line starters at a crucial time of the season.

Here’s the Liverpool.com podium for Tuesday night.

Gold: Curtis Jones finish

Let’s not start with Jones. Let’s start with Neco Williams, who will rightly be credited an assist. Did Ajax goalkeeper André Onana make a brutal mistake? Yes. Williams still handed over a tempting whip cross? Y Postal Code? Absolutely.

In fact, the assist wasn’t even Williams’ best play step. I was more confident, more confident Tuesday night. Maybe he was playing Joel Matip on his inside shoulder or maybe he was playing Jones later on, a player he’s used to bonding with in the lower echelons. Regardless, the nerves that impeded his performance against Brighton were gone. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough, and that’s all the team can ask for.

And then there was the man at the end of the cross: Curtis Jones.

Personally, I’m still accepting how talented Jones is. I always try to steer on the right side of hyperbole, but I’m running out of ways to protect myself from hyperbole. this-is-a-special-talent feeling.

Jones’ ending embodies his game: calm, brimming with confidence, and both based on an outrageous technical foundation.

Jones has it all. He brings chaos to Liverpool’s carefully defined preparation game. Adds increasing quality to the midfield. It drifts and glides. When necessary, you can pressure and harass, but everything Really what you want to do is get on the ball, change it once, spin the gears, and then slide. What a joy to see.

Silver – Caoimhin Kelleher

Kelleher stepped in in place of Alisson, who Klopp confirmed before the game had suffered a hamstring injury against Brighton.

That Klopp opted for Kelleher over Adrian was a damning statement in itself. But Klopp’s decision was the right one. And it was less about what Kelleher did (although his point-blank save from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the 87th minute was a real screensaver) than how his teammates reacted.

There was calm.

It was not nice?

Adrian, while also a shot-stopping apocalypse, born of historically bad xG numbers after shots, also brings a frenzied quality to Liverpool’s bottom line. Defenders don’t trust him. It is palpable. He’s not good enough with the ball on his feet and defenders worry all the damn time if the next ball cut over the top is the moment when it will prowl 15 yards out of their area.

If Kelleher contributed anything to Tuesday night, it was that subtle change: he adopted the reassuring aura of Joel Matip and Fabinho, rather than the defensive association assuming Adrian’s frenzied nature. And for a player making his Champions League debut, it’s quite an amazing achievement.

Bronze – Fabinho

Speaking of Fabinho: What a player.

In truth, the bronze could have gone to multiple players here. Andy Robertson was as strong and cool as ever, despite a nagging ankle problem; Jordan Henderson had an excellent performance even by his own monotony standards.

But there is something about Fabinho, something about his history. He just decided to go back to center back and become one of the best ball-winning central midfielders in Europe.

There is a tranquility and security in everything he does, a tranquility and security that is transmitted to all those around him. As noted before the game, whenever possible, the only way for Liverpool to overcome this injury crisis that has affected the defense so much is to work on a simple basis: Matip, Fabinho and Henderson are the central and solid axis. The rest can be completed as long as they are available or needed.

It wasn’t perfect against Ajax, the Dutch team created enough chances but it was good enough to come out with victory and a clean sheet.