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Why Curtis Jones Could Hold the Key to Liverpool Winning the Premier League Title

October 21, 2024
Opinion

The first major test of Arne Slot’s coaching career in England came on Sunday, with Liverpool facing off against Chelsea. With Manchester City pulling off a last-second victory at Wolves just minutes earlier, the pressure was on Liverpool to step up and deliver, and they did just that.

 

Despite being outmatched during the early spells of the game, the Reds prevailed with a 2-1 victory at Anfield and knocked City off the top spot. It’s little wonder that the best cripto casino platforms are starting to throw their weight behind Liverpool and back them to win the league title.

 

 

Whilst Chelsea sent 11 players to the October international break, Liverpool sent 18. And with Luis Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister both heading to South America to represent Colombia and Argentina, respectively, neither were deemed fit enough to start. Slot made three changes from Liverpool’s previous match vs. Crystal Palace, with Cody Gakpo replacing Diaz and Andrew Robertson returning to the XI ahead of Kostas Tsimikas, who missed out due to illness.

 

With key players like Mac Allister, Alisson and Wataru Endo unavailable, the odds were stacked against Liverpool. In fact, out of every single game that Liverpool have played this season, the only one that they failed to win came immediately after the September international break in a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.

 

No Mac Allister, no Endo, no problem. Curtis Jones slotted into midfield for his second start of the 2024/25 Premier League season and operated in the double pivot alongside Ryan Gravenberch, whilst Dominik Szoboszlai played in the #10 role. It didn’t take long for Jones to justify Slot’s trust, showcasing his quality in possession with 37/41 passes completed, 2/3 long balls completed, and 2 key passes.

 

Jones, who will turn 24 in January, looked set for a major breakthrough in the tail-end of the 2022/23 season after starting their last 11 matches of the campaign. However, he was hamstrung by physical issues in the following campaign missing 15 games in 2023/24 due to two ankle injuries and a thigh problem.

 

 

The Englishman was also sidelined at the start of the 2024/25 campaign with a minor muscular injury, and this — combined with the form of Liverpool’s other midfielders — meant that his only starts prior to Chelsea came in an EFL Cup match vs. West Ham, where he assisted Diogo Jota’s go-ahead goal in a 5-1 thrashing, as well as a 1-0 win vs. Palace before the break.

 

He looked set to participate in England’s UEFA Nations League matches, only to withdraw after his partner gave birth to a newborn daughter. Jones, who has been at Liverpool since 2010, lit up Anfield with an all-action display in the center of the pitch, keeping Chelsea’s Cole Palmer subdued and holding his own in physical battles with 6 out of 8 ground duels won, 3 tackles, and 2 fouls won.

 

When Palmer was baring down on goal, it was Jones who put in a last-ditch intervention to prevent the ball from reaching him for a surefire opener. And when Nicolas Jackson equalized for Chelsea after the break, it was Jones who instantaneously restored Liverpool’s advantage. He ran the show in midfield, maneuvering his way out of tight areas, working hard out of possession, and winning two penalties — one of which was given, one of which was annulled — whilst only Mohamed Salah managed more touches in the Chelsea penalty box.

 

“Curtis had a very good game,” Slot stated after the match. “He had a difficult job to control Cole Palmer, who is an incredible player with so many qualities. But Curtis did really well and controlled him for most parts of the game.”

 

 

Liverpool have a challenging week ahead which will see them travel to RB Leipzig midweek in the UEFA Champions League, before heading to North London and facing title rivals Arsenal at the Emirates, and they will be counting on Jones as they continue to pursue their first Premier League title in five years (and first league title in three decades in front of supporters).

 

Given the sheer amount of football that awaits Liverpool, there’s no doubt that Jones will have a significant role to play no matter what. However, after a Man of the Match display against Chelsea, he has certainly given Slot some food for thought. There’s reason to believe that Jones can reclaim his starting spot and relegate one of Gravenberch, Mac Allister, or Szoboszlai to the bench — he’s riding high on confidence at the moment, and at 23, he’s only going to keep getting better.

 

 

 

 

 

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