Curtis Jones was once given a stern talking-to by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, and it’s something he’s pin-pointed as a major turning point in his career
Curtis Jones has quite often been ovelooked for Liverpool. Arne Slot’s side have endured a less-than-satisfactory season thus far but coming into the Christmas period the Reds began to pick up results in both Europe and the Premier League.
After picking up important wins in recent weeks, it has seemed as if Liverpool’s season may be back on track, with midfielder Jones at the epicentre of the improved performances. An academy graduate, 24-year-old Jones is competing with the likes of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Domink Szoboszlai for a place in the team.
Of course, Szoboszlai has been in sparkling form this season, earning plaudits from fans across the world in light of his consistent outings in the red jersey.
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Therefore, it’s even more impressive that Scouser Jones has managed to thrive in such a competitive environment. The academy graduate has now notched up more than 200 appearances for Liverpool, having made his debut for the club in 2019.
It’s a remarkable achievement for a man who’s been born and raised in the area, becoming the youngest player to rack up a double century since Steven Gerrard in 2003. Jones was 24 years and 317 days, with Gerrard at 23 years and 121 days.
Speaking to LFCTV after the game, Jones took the opportunity to highlight a moment in his younger years where Gerrard himself stepped in to steer the midfielder’s career in the right direction.
“Steven Gerrard has obviously been a huge part of my career and life,” began Jones, speaking of his time under Gerrard in the youth set-up.
“I say life because he was probably the first man to really have a pop at me at the academy, and just changed me to think: ‘Yeah, I’m not better than anybody else.’
“It was a reality check in terms of the way I played and the role that he gave me. Steven would be the first to say that once I overcame a thing where I complicate things and thought I was the man because I had a (number) 10 on my back and things like that, I’d be the first man he’d pick on his team.”
He continued: “That came with him. I’d always been a kid that was top of the age group and at times I’d become a little bit passive I’d say. Steven was the first one to give me a real check. Coming from a man like him, who played the game, who I idolised, I thought: ‘I’ve got to change if it’s him that’s telling me’.
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“From there he stuck with me and I stuck with him and we worked. A year after I’m around the first team and I’m stood here now on 200 games, so he’s obviously a man that I’d like to thank as well.”
Jones has been in and out of Slot’s team during the Dutchman’s time in the hot seat and despite making his debut six years ago, Jones has failed to become an out-and-out starter as of yet. However, it seems the tide could be turning for the Englishman, who is making a stellar case for himself to be one of the first names of the team sheet.
Not afraid of getting his feet on the ball, Jones also impressed against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League earlier this season, putting in a solid shift alongside Szoboszlai in the double-pivot and completing 122 passes. This is the highest number of passes completed by a Liverpool player in Europe according to Opta.
Of course, Liverpool went on a pretty dismal run following the 5-1 hammering of the German outfit, with a victory against Real Madrid in between. However, as Liverpool began to hit a run of form in December, Jones showed exactly why he deserves a regular place in the team.
Slotting into a diamond midfield against Inter Milan in Europe, Jones played alongside all of his competitors in the middle of the park. He completed the most passes – 67 – with the highest success rate over a 45-minute period – 96%. There were further positive points in the game, with the local lad running 12km against the Italian side – Nico Barella and Mac Allister were the only players who ran more.
Slot then stuck with Jones for the encounter against Brighton, where Liverpool won 2-0 thanks to a brace from Hugo Ekitike. The middle man notched up another 92% pass success rate and won eight of his 12 duels against The Seagulls.
Rather than being a Hollywood player who puts through scything through balls and awe-inspiring diagonal switches, Jones is the engine of the midfield and operates as a facilitator for the rest of the team to thrive. His ability to retain the ball and feed it to his team-mates to a high success rate underlines this point exactly.
While Jones may not have been regular starter in years gone by, he is making it incredibly difficult for Slot to drop him for the big occasions, as well as making the competition for starting place fiercely competitive in the middle of the park.
Sometimes, when a player hits form it can feel like a new signing. If Liverpool are to hit their stride again and build towards the peak of both the European and domestic leagues, it’s clear Jones will be an integral cog in Slot’s machine, and he owes a large part of that to club legend Gerrard’s advice.
