'A bit too overconfident': Arne Slot says Liverpool have a 'special' player who now needs to show consistency
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Liverpool take on Aston Villa this weekend and Arne Slot has took the time out to praise a number of his current squad ahead of the clash.
Slot has seen his Liverpool side reach the Premier League summit and with Arsenal and Man City both faltering, Liverpool have a realistic chance of success this season.
For Slot, it’s been imperative he’s made the use of the squad at his disposal after a lack of summer signings left things very much the same from when Jurgen Klopp left.
Within that squad use, there’s been chances for young players and a few who had slipped down the pecking order.
One of those players is Curtis Jones. The midfielder has bounced back from injury disappointments to be a key player and has secured an England place this week.
However, according to Slot, the real challenge lies ahead for Jones.
Curtis Jones told what he needs to do to be a Liverpool regular
Speaking to the press ahead of this weekend’s big game with Aston Villa, Liverpool boss Slot got onto the subject of Curtis Jones.
And discussing the midfielder, Slot admitted that while Jones can be a touch overconfident at times, it’s not something he wants to take from his game.
“What makes him such a good player? He has qualities on the ball, he is never afraid to do something special. Sometimes a bit too overconfident but it is an important tool and he combines this at the moment and a longer period with an incredibly hard work rate,” Slot said.
“We can trust him defensively, we saw how he handled Cole Palmer. Now for him is about consistency because we know he has quality.
“The best players in the world show up every three days so that is the challenge.”
Jones catching the eye for Liverpool in 24/25 season
There’s no doubt having a fit Curtis Jones back and playing well feels like a new signing for Liverpool this season.
He has impressed, and in some big games, he’s produced the goods.
German media praised Jones just this week for his performance against Bayer Leverkusen and Steven Gerrard has spoken recently on how big of a fan of Jones he is as well.
Season | Liverpool appearances | Liverpool goals/assists |
24/25 | 12 | 1/4 |
23/24 | 36 | 5/3 |
22/23 | 24 | 3/1 |
21/22 | 27 | 1/4 |
The trick for Jones, then, is to keep his place in the Liverpool team and continue to build.
As it stands, he’s on for a breakthrough season and could really prove valuable in a title push.