Liverpool’s starting line-up at the Etihad Stadium today gave an indication as to who Jurgen Klopp sees as his best XI.
There were some obvious absentees, with Andy Robertson the most notable, while Luis Diaz is still likely to be on the left-wing when not returning from international duty.
That aside though, you have to pick your best team to take on Manchester City at their place. So, it’s safe to assume that for the moment, Klopp sees Curtis Jones as being in that XI.
There is plenty of justification for that. Jones has been good when given the chance this season and on paper has everything Jurgen wants in a midfielder. England U21 manager Lee Carsley recently lauded him as an ‘outstanding’ player and he has all the attributes to play in this Liverpool team.
With Ryan Gravenberch on the bench, it was a chance for the 22-year-old to cement the manager’s faith on the toughest ground in the country. But, unfortunately for Curtis, he kind of did the opposite.
Off the pace and unable to keep the ball effectively, Jones was eventually replaced by Gravenberch after 54 minutes. With the Dutchman having a much bigger impact, Jones may have just messed up a big, big chance.
Gravenberch outshines Jones
This isn’t the first time Klopp has put his faith in Jones in a big game this season and had his fingers burned.
The Scouser was definitely unlucky to see red away at Tottenham Hotspur, but his over-the-top challenge on Destiny Udogie left Liverpool in a lurch they never really recovered from.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
The damage wasn’t quite as drastic this afternoon. But had Alisson Becker been slightly less alert to collect his insanely dangerous back-pass inside his own six-yard box, it could have been.
It should be said that there are mitigating factors for Jones. He missed the three games before the international break through injury and has had a stop-start two months.
His display against City wasn’t good, but it isn’t indicative of his general performance this season.
Nevertheless, the presence of Gravenberch means there’s little margin for error when selected in the team. Klopp is still searching for the best partner for Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai and until Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic come back, it’s surely one of these two.
While Jones may have held the shirt at the start of the day, we think it should be fairly obvious that Graveberch now holds it at the end.
Had the 21-year-old not been injured himself recently, he may have started here anyway. After a string of good performances he’s growing into his time at Liverpool. But Jones got the nod and the opportunity. Looking back this evening, he’ll surely agree that a golden chance to make a point has just passed him by.