Even with Liverpool signing four midfielders during the summer transfer window, Curtis Jones has been a regular presence in Jurgen Klopp’s line-up so far this season.
Sunday’s 3-1 win over West Ham was his third consecutive Premier League start, and his performance on the day earned him hearty congratulations from several of his teammates.
Following the result, the 22-year-old took to Instagram to register his delight, posting: ‘Proper team performance that one! +3 at home, we keep it going!’.
In subsequent comments on that post, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch both replied with fire emojis, with Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk showing his appreciation for Jones with a heart emoji.
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When looking back on the West Ham game, it comes as no surprise that the midfielder was being lauded by a number of his teammates.
As per Sofascore, he won more tackles (four) than any other Liverpool player on Sunday and, discounting late substitute Wataru Endo, had the highest passing success rate in Klopp’s side, completing 49 out of 51 he attempted (96% accuracy).
He also won seven of his duels and completed one dribble, and he was unlucky to have a brilliant finish ruled out just before half-time, having strayed narrowly offside.
On Monday, Jones was the subject of an article by James Pearce for The Athletic in which he was lauded for his performances since the start of the campaign, and the 22-year-old certainly played a big part in Sunday’s defeat of West Ham.
It’s always a delight to see local lads rising through the academy ranks to become crucial cogs in the Liverpool first team, and the Toxteth native deserves every bit of praise which has come his way recently.
It’s easy to have a high pass rate when you take the easiest option all the time. I’d rather he had a far less pass completion rate if a couple of those passes resulted in goal scoring chances. Apparently they’re working with him in training to improve the speed of his passing. He’s got all the technical ability and composure. Just infuriates because he always plays it sideways or backwards.