Curtis Jones: nearly the main man

Curtis Jones is one of those Liverpool lads you can’t help but root for. Not just because he’s a Scouser, but because you can see the footballer in there so clearly: the sharp press, the strength on the ball, the little turns under pressure that buy you an extra second and change the angle.

And in patches, he’s looked a massive part of Liverpool getting a bit of zip back into our midfield play. He keeps it moving, he protects possession when the game’s getting messy, and he’s brave enough to ask for it again even after a mistake. Truth is, if he had a different accent, we’d probably all be talking about him like he’s the next “complete” midfielder.

What he already gives Liverpool

The obvious stuff is the energy and the press. Jones is switched on off the ball, and he can set a tone when Liverpool want to squeeze teams in and win it back quickly. He also has that rare thing in a side that can be a bit frantic: ball retention that doesn’t feel like hiding. He’ll take it in tight areas, use his body well, and come out the other side still in control.

That matters, because not every game is a pure chaos-fest where you just play on instinct and transitions. Sometimes you need a midfielder who can slow the moment down without slowing the whole team down. Jones can do that.

The gap between flashes and “undroppable”

But the frustration is real too. For all the good, it still feels like we’re waiting for that proper run where you say: you can’t leave him out, full stop. Not “he’s handy”, not “he was good today”, but a stretch of weeks where he’s deciding games, or at least shaping them, every time he starts.

Part of it is that his best moments can look effortless, and effortless can sometimes drift into quiet. The top midfielders hit you over the head with influence: they show for it constantly, they take responsibility when the game’s flat, and they keep turning up in the key phases. Jones has shown he can do that. The task now is doing it again and again, not every now and then.

Why this might be his moment

With Arne Slot, there’s a chance the shape and the roles suit Jones in a different way. If Liverpool are asking midfielders to be cleaner in possession, sharper between the lines, and more disciplined about where they receive it, that should play to his strengths.

And if opportunities open up when others are away, that’s when a squad player becomes a team player. Not by talking about it, but by stacking performances until it stops being a debate. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But you can see why fans keep coming back to it. There’s a proper Liverpool footballer in Curtis Jones, and we’re all still waiting for him to make that spot his.

Written by TheBootRoom: 16 December 2025