Curtis Jones can find himself being an easy target to vent frustrations towards, but there is a reason why coaches continue to present him with opportunities.
After Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, I came across a compilation of what I’d call a classic Jones performance: receiving under pressure, finding space, solid counter-pressing, the odd overzealous tackle (although as usual, referee Simon Hooper was quick with the whistle).
Yet, predictably, the video was framed as more evidence in the case of Curtis Jones – the “Scouse Fraud,” coasting on youthful promise and his local ties to the club.
Less than a week later, he was called up to the England senior squad for the second time.
Why is Jones a player that coaches support but supporters criticise?
The age of innocence
Under Steven Gerrard‘s guidance, Jones emerged as a star for Liverpool’s under-18s. The legendary midfielder urged him to add a fierce mentality to his precocious ability, and he began excelling in midfield and on the wing with his dribbling and eye for goal.
He went on to captain a youth team that defeated Everton‘s seniors in the FA Cup, scoring a brilliant winner, and scored off the bench on his Premier League debut as Liverpool surged to the title.
Fans were thrilled at the prospect of an all-action, superstar academy graduate joining Trent Alexander-Arnold in the senior side and leading a trophy-laden career.
Curtis Jones is 17
He’s about as Scouse as it comes. He looks like a Jurassic Park scientist has managed to clone that 82 team into a single footballer.
He’s chasing possession like one of Ramsey Bolton’s dogs. Lovely touch and bravery on the ball. He might be better than Trent pic.twitter.com/9QwzcjyY2R— SimonBrundish (@SimonBrundish) July 20, 2018
Into his sixth year as a professional, that hasn’t happened.
Injuries have limited him to one full season of regular games, and unlike his mentor Gerrard, he hasn’t become the clutch goalscorer fans hoped for.
The little prince
The latter is perhaps the main source of disappointment for fans. But while they lament Jones’ output, his coaches primarily value his physicality and his defensive acumen.
“We all know how good a player Curtis is, he’s technically incredibly skilled, but he finds more and more direction in his dribbling, he gets better out of situations,” said Jurgen Klopp after a 5-1 win over West Ham last season.
“And his pressing, counter-pressing, meanwhile, he sets the level, actually, how it should look. I’m really happy with that. It keeps every player in the game.”
England interim manager Lee Carsley, who relied on Jones when guiding the U21s to the 2023 European Championship, is also a fan.
“Similar to Cole (Palmer), I’m not surprised one bit (by his progress). Curtis would be up there with the most talented players I’ve worked with,” he said.
“He’s got everything that you need as a midfielder. He can run, he is very, very fast, he’s powerful, he can score, he can assist, he can defend, he can take the ball…”
Who is the player that they see?
Sense and sensibility
For his country, Jones was used as a holding midfielder. Tasked with receiving the ball in buildup, he was a metronomic player who relieved pressure for his teammates and played a range of passes from deep. At times, it was Ryan Gravenberch-esque.
Under Klopp, Jones played primarily on the left of a midfield trio, where the brief was more defensive than on the right.
Whether it was Gini Wijnaldum offering an outball, or Thiago playing line-breaking passes, the left-sided eight spent more time dropping towards the centre circle than troubling the opposition goal.
Jones received this responsibility towards the end of the 2022/23 campaign, with his team vulnerable to counter attacks and needing someone to add greater control of games.
He was excellent as the team surged up the table to almost salvage Champions League qualification, and even popped up with three goals during the run-in as a box crasher arriving unmarked from deep.
Jones also displayed improved aggression off the ball, with fantastic timing as to when to press and win the ball cleanly.
His newly rounded skillset meant that he was a key figure in Klopp’s midfield last season – even with nearly £200 million spent on four new midfielders.
Crime and punishment
Of course, there are reasons why Jones comes in for criticism. That brief goalscoring run dried up last season, netting just once in the league. There was also the glaring one-on-one miss during a 1-0 defeat against Crystal Palace that left the title challenge in ruins.
His attempts at more expansive passing can be wayward, as in this example (below) that left Mo Salah raging.
And that’s when Jones isn’t guilty of hesitating on the ball.
He had a reputation as a youngster for focusing on tricking past opponents rather than getting the team playing at its best. For that reason, many are furious when he is responsible for a move breaking down, attributing it to a selfish attitude.
A closer look at some of these situations, however, raises an interesting counter-point. When a midfielder is tasked with relieving pressure, one of the more useful tools is drawing fouls.
Last season, midfielders Bruno Guimaraes (108), James Maddison (74) and John McGinn (69) were among the most-fouled players in the league.
However, just like Wijnaldum before him, Jones often gets no sympathy from referees when brought down. Standing over 6ft, the No. 17 can be the victim of unconscious bias from officials, which leads to a turnover for the opposition.
Great expectations
So what should we expect from Jones?
Despite being in his sixth season with the senior team, he has played just 7,562 minutes of senior football. Compared to the similarly aged Bukayo Saka (18,204) and Phil Foden (17,087), he’s still a player in development.
The teammates that are keeping him on the bench – Gravenberch (11,563) and Alexis Mac Allister (18,433) – are also further along in terms of game time.
Jones will likely never be the talismanic player that his academy coach Gerrard was. But we have seen enough of him as the unspectacular, effective midfielder to know he can perform at the elite level.
The next step is to perform at that level consistently.
“…all he needs is opportunity,” was the end of that quote from Carsley – the man who has given Jones his second senior England call-up.
His coaches understand this. Perhaps it’s time for his critics to do the same.
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