Nobody would have foreseen that Curtis Jones would go nearly six months with a Premier League start and then be picked from the beginning by Jurgen Klopp for five successive games but the Scouser has thrived in our new-look side.
Speaking with the media after beating West Ham, the 55-year-old said: “Curtis has [had] a super-difficult season this year. It started with a freakish injury – it happens to young boys but he was on the edge of being not that young anymore to get these kind of things. So, we had to deal with him super-carefully – he was out for a long time and then we could start training again, but only a session here, then recovery again, a session there… you cannot build anything.
“From the moment he was allowed to train properly again, it looked – step by step – really good.
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“Since he was fully fit and match-ready, he plays now and he is doing really well. He set the tone again today with the first counter-pressing situation, he was super-important. That he is a good footballer, we all knew – that he has to improve, we knew as well, and he knows, but he’s in a really good moment, a really good moment, [and that is] super-helpful.
“This team is set up now for the defending, for the defensive readiness. This is a ticket into the team. That doesn’t mean the other boys don’t do that, but these guys now do it like animals, if you want – and really, I like that, how we chase the ball again and these kind of things.
“On top of that, we are able to play quite good football and Curtis is involved in that as well, absolutely”.
Not many would have expected that the Scouser’s defensive prowess would be why he made it into our starting line-up but when you watch his work ethic in recent games, it’s been an inspired decision from the manager.
Let’s hope that our No.17 can continue to take advantage of the minutes given to him and really show everyone that he deserves a place in our new-look team.
You can watch Klopp’s comments on Jones (from 1:51) via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
One worb on Jones, Bullshit!!!!!