Curtis Jones played as a defensive midfielder on Sunday as Liverpool faced Leicester in the pre-season friendly, while Romeo Lavia conversations are still on.
England U-21 team won the Euro Championship this summer and Curtis Jones was one of the most promising players. He put in a man-of-the-match performance in both semi-final and final.
The Englishman scored the winner in the final against Spain and these performances secured him a place in the team of the tournament.
As England played 4-4-2 the whole tournament, Jones played a deeper role as a pivot alongside Angel Gomes.
Klopp in the pre-season has established that Liverpool will be playing a 3-2-2-3 formation in the upcoming season. While previously, the Reds used to play in a 4-3-3 formation and now they have decided to make a U-turn with a shift in their gameplay.
The German coach has shifted Trent Alexander-Arnold into a pivotal position pairing him with another midfielder.
And in the game on Sunday against Leicester City in Singapore, Klopp gave Jones a start as a pivot with Trent. Before the game, he told LFC TV,
“Curtis on six (position) today in first half. It’s interesting.
From a football point of view, it would make massive sense but obviously we have to see how compact we can be.It’s always the same, whoever you have as the six.
If you are not compact, the six is lost.If you are compact, it’s not as difficult to do.
I’m really curious about that as well, how that looks.”
Curtis Jones starts as defensive-midfielder, Liverpool still chases Lavia
The Reds manager is impressed with the 22-year-old’s performance in the Euros and decided to add him to the starting 11. He played a crucial role in the Merseysiders’ 4-0 victory against the Foxes. After the match Klopp stated,
“Yeah, yeah, absolutely (encouraging). Curtis is a smart player, especially when he is on the ball anyway.
With him and Trent, we were a bit too slow in moments. A little bit two quarter-backs.
It makes not too much sense. We have to get out of that more flexibility. We will get there, I am 100% sure.”
The Anfield giants are still working towards the signing of Romeo Lavia. They have submitted an improved 2nd bid to the Saints.
But for now, the manager has to make something out of what he has in hand. Although the defensive-midfield position is not Jones’ ‘natural position’, he still managed to play 45 minutes there before being subbed off.
Clearly, the club needs an immediate replacement for Fabinho, and Lavia’s profile matches the requirements for the Merseysiders.
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