Curtis Jones proved his value in Man-of-the-Match performance against Chelsea

On Sunday, Arne Slot handed Curtis Jones what was just his second start in eight Premier League matches. After a man-of-the-match performance against Chelsea that rewarded Slot’s faith in him handsomely, Curtis Jones is unlikely to face as long a wait to start his next two league matches. 

Jones’s contribution to his side’s 2-1 victory over the Blues  extended well beyond his involvement in both of Liverpool’s goals.

With six out of nine duels won, six recoveries, one block, and one interception, Jones’ performance denied his opponents the opportunity to convert their greater share of possession into any real sight of goal aside from Nicolas Jackson’s equalizer.

However, the most noteworthy markers of his superb display are undoubtedly his decisive role in his side’s two goals. Jones of course drew the penalty from which his side took the lead and then netted what was ultimately the winner.

He looked to have won a second chance from the spot before half time and though VAR overturned the official’s initial decision to reward a penalty, Jones’ eagerness to get into dangerous positions and on the end of clear chances should delight his manager. 

Jones’s finish reflects strongly on his maturity and what he can offer going forward. The 23-year-old was shrewd to recognize the vast space Chelsea afforded him in their penalty box and to then ruthlessly exploit that opening by timing his run to perfection from a deeper position.

Once he received Salah’s pass, he exhibited a striker’s poise with two touches, the first to control the ball, the second to clinically poke it past Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez. 

A regular when healthy last season, the midfielder has found his game time limited with only three starts in Liverpool’s first 11 fixtures under his new coach whose preferred midfield three has been Alexis Mac-Allister and Ryan Gravenberch in a double pivot behind Dominik Szoboszlai. 

Slot opted to wait until the 81st minute to introduce Mac Allister as the Argentine was ill on his flight back from international duty in South America. 

However, Jones’s complete performance against Chelsea made a strong case for his place in his coach’s first XI even with a fully healthy midfield. 

Jones has started too few matches for Slot to properly assess whether he is most effective as the lone advanced midfielder or in the double pivot.

Thus far though, he has clearly appeared far more comfortable in the latter position, where he lined up this past weekend and in Liverpool’s 5-1 thrashing of West Ham in the League Cup. Jones’ performance further forward in his only other start of the campaign against Crystal Palace failed to impress Slot, who brought him off at half time. 

It could be worthwhile for Slot to experiment with Jones and Gravenberch in the double pivot with Mac-Allister further forward.

Szoboszlai has started the majority of Liverpool’s fixtures this season, but has struggled to exert any meaningful influence in the middle of the park.

Mac-Allister on the other hand excelled when he enjoyed the freedom to play further up the pitch last season as his creativity, intelligence on the ball and goal threat all were all important sources of fuel for the Reds’ title challenge.

For the first time in his senior career, Curtis Jones is playing under a new manager at the club level. From his debut in January 2019 until last May, Jones’s growth as a player centered around Jurgen Klopp’s heavy pressing and high-tempo brand of football.

Arne Slot has deviated somewhat from Klopp’s direct attacking play and as we saw against Chelsea, was content with his side to sit back and absorb pressure from their opponents rather than urgently attempt to win the ball back. 

Whether or how Jones could suit his new coach’s style of play had previously been unclear. He had waited patiently for eight matches for his chance to start in his strongest position in Slot’s 4-2-3-1 formation. When that chance finally arrived on Sunday, he seized it convincingly.