'Struggling' Liverpool player has now messed up his perfect chance to become a regular for Arne Slot - opinion
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Liverpool head to Tottenham Hotspur once again this Wednesday just weeks after thumping them in the Premier League.
The Reds were scintillating on that day just before Christmas, hitting six past a Spurs side who could easily have been beaten by 10.
One of the best things about a brilliant Liverpool on that day was Dominik Szoboszlai.
Szoboszlai was exceptional against Tottenham, dominating the midfield and claiming a goal and an assist for himself as the Reds ran riot.
Since then, a mixture of rest, suspension and illness have restricted the Hungarian to just 13 minutes across three Liverpool fixtures.
In the meantime, Curtis Jones has come in to prove that he deserves the plaudits that have been thrown his way this season, too. But, unfortunately for Jones, all he has done is highlight just how much Liverpool have come to rely on Szoboszlai.
Curtis Jones messes up Liverpool chance
Jones has generally been very good this season, that is worth saying first of all. Bruno Fernandes raved about Liverpool’s midfield after Sunday’s clash with Man United and the Scouser has been a big part of that.
However, Sunday’s game also very much highlighted the limitations Jones all-too regularly shows.
He has improved in this respect, but the 23-year-old still holds onto the ball for far too long. Shay Given accused Jones of ‘struggling‘ against Girona recently and this was another example of that.
It showed why despite featuring for 74 minutes in Liverpool’s 5-0 thumping of West Ham in the game immediately after the Spurs win, many had hoped Szoboszlai would return against United.
With the 24-year-old unfortunately ruled out through illness, though, Jones had the perfect chance to show that Liverpool’s midfield can still operate in the biggest of games with him in it.
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Not for the first time, Jones failed to pass this test. Alexis Mac Allister shone against United and Ryan Gravenberch was top-class as usual. But Curtis stood out as being not quite on the same level.
He may yet get another go on Wednesday after Arne Slot confirmed Szoboszlai is still ill, but by now he’d have to go some way to change the general consensus.
Liverpool’s ideal midfield is now clear
All of this is not to say that Jones does not have a future at Liverpool. He will still likely play a big role between now and the end of the season and he will surely have his moments.
However, this little run was a litmus test for whether Slot’s midfield functions better with or without him in it.
And although there were certain question marks over Szoboszlai earlier in the season, the former RB Leipzig man’s hard-running and tenacious nature have made him a key cog for the Liverpool head coach.
As a result, Jones has inadvertently made it clear that Slot’s best midfield moving forward should be Mac Allister, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai.
Jones had the chance to change that, but unless he does something sensational on Wednesday, he has missed it quite spectacularly.
