What to do with Curtis Jones? The 22-year-old enjoyed a superb start to the 2023/24 campaign, picking up right where he left things the prior season… until an unfortunate slip of the boot over the ball saw him accidentally crunch into Yves Bissouma and awarded a three-match suspension.
In misfortune, however, opportunity is bred, and so Ryan Gravenberch stepped into the fold seeking to prove that he’s far more than a Bayern Munich dud.
His latest display against Toulouse will have vindicated Hasan Salihamidzic and Oliver Kahn – the recently departed figureheads at the Allianz Arena responsible for his arrival from Ajax – in their joint decision. Thomas Tuchel, by contrast, may be feeling a little sheepish.
What now for Curtis Jones?
With the Dutchman thriving on the left of the midfield, however, it does beg the question as to how exactly Jones will work his way back into the XI – quite the dramatic turnaround given that it would have been considered unthinkable to drop the Englishman not too long ago.
That said, we did witness a solid display from our ‘super’ (as Jurgen Klopp described his recent displays following a win over Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, via Liverpool World) Scouse Academy graduate that most certainly benefitted Liverpool’s new tendencies toward possession-based play.
The England U21s international kept the ball relatively well (albeit losing possession far more than he’s used to this term) and completed 94% (61/65) of his passes on the night in the right midfield role.
What Jones offers on the pitch (even though not quite as alluring to the eye as Ryan Gravenberch’s box office runs) is undoubtedly important, though you’d invite a few incredulous looks if suggesting Dominik Szoboszlai should be benched in his place.
The shirt in the league for that left midfield position now seems the former Bayern man’s to lose, with our No.17 surely now set to warm the bench in the Premier League for the foreseeable future.
The good news is that he should still be in for some reasonable minutes here and there in cup competitions and Europe! Of course, there’s no reason either that opportunity won’t strike once again in his favour.
#Ep94 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️