During this summer’s European Under-21 Championship, Curtis Jones emerged as a standout player. Thus, showcasing his talents and further developing the promise he displayed at the end of the previous season as a Liverpool midfielder.
The 22-year-old Curtis Jones delivered exceptional performances in both England’s semi-final triumph against Israel and their final victory over Spain. Thus, earning him the well-deserved title of “man of the match” in both matches. He even scored the winning goal in the final, although he admits he didn’t have much awareness of it. As a result of his outstanding displays, he was rightfully in the lineup for the tournament’s team of the tournament.
Jones’ exceptional performances for England led them to become European champions. Hence, this undoubtedly left Liverpool impressed. Interestingly, despite the summer signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai as part of a midfield overhaul, Klopp stated last month that he plans to continue utilizing Jones in a more advanced position at Anfield.
Due to Stefan Bajcetic’s continued absence from team, Klopp had to work with the available players at his disposal. As a result, Alexander-Arnold got the role of number six in the friendlies against Karlsruher and Furth in Germany. While young talent Conor Bradley filled in Alexander-Arnold’s inverted full-back position for the England international.
With Conor Bradley being unavailable, Alexander-Arnold was able to return to his familiar position. This switch had a cascading effect, resulting in Curtis Jones starting as the number six. Despite his international engagements, Jones rejoined the team for pre-season on July 20. This prompted his inclusion in that particular role.
How did Curtis Jones fare so far for Liverpool?
Prior to the recent match, Curtis Jones had only played as a deeper midfielder for Liverpool once before, against Norwich City in September 2021. However, this experimental positioning lasted for only 45 minutes. Since, Klopp acknowledged in his post-match comments that it wasn’t Jones’ natural position and didn’t prove to be particularly effective against the Canaries. Despite Liverpool securing a 3-0 victory.
After a span of two years, Curtis Jones found himself playing in the deeper midfield role once more. Although Klopp commended his performance during the 4-0 triumph over Leicester, his remarks implied that Jones might not be the long-term solution to address the void in that position.
It is evident that Liverpool recognizes the necessity of finding a more natural replacement for the departing Fabinho and intends to actively pursue one. At the same time, Klopp’s preference is to have Alexander-Arnold operating as an inverted full-back. Also Jones occupying an advanced midfield position, which seems to suit their playing styles better.
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