´Outstanding´ Jones has improved since becoming a father, says Slot

Arne Slot believes Curtis Jones’ upturn in form for Liverpool has coincided with the 23-year-old recently becoming a father for the first time.

Jones has played a starring role for the Reds in recent weeks, which has earned him a call-up by Lee Carsley for England’s upcoming Nations League fixtures this month.

The midfielder shone during Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, notching a sublime assist for Luis Diaz’s 61st minute opener.

Jones also created the joint-most chances (three) along with Ryan Gravenberch at Anfield, and is now pushing Dominik Szoboszlai for a starting spot in Liverpool’s midfield.

“With Curtis he became a fighter and I had nothing to do with that. Since the moment he became a father [last month], he started putting great performances in,” Slot said.

“He already did in the first few weeks of pre-season and I thought he was a quality player.

“His performances dropped a bit but from the moment he became a father he has been outstanding again.

“It might have a bit to do with that, but I think it is more to do with how the team plays. As a result of that, individual performances are good as well.”

That Curtis assist pic.twitter.com/Ufv0P3EZrj

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 5, 2024

Jones has started four of the Reds’ last six games in all competitions, notching four goal contributions (one goal, three assists) in those games.

But the midfielder has had to bide his time under Slot, with the Liverpool boss challenging Jones to add consistency to his game in the coming weeks.

“He has a lot of qualities on the ball, when he has it he’s never afraid to do something special. Sometimes he is a bit too over-confident but confidence is important,” Slot added.

“He also has an incredibly high work-rate and we can trust him defensively. You saw how he performed against Cole Palmer.

“If he wants to continue progressing he has to show every three days these performances.”

Liverpool’s fine start to the season continued with their midweek thrashing of Leverkusen, and they are now top of the Premier League and Champions League tables.

The Reds’ victory over Brighton in the league saw Slot become just the fifth manager to win as many as eight of his first 10 Premier League games in charge, after John Gregory (1998), Guus Hiddink (2009), Carlo Ancelotti (2009) and Ange Postecoglou (2023).

Of the previous four, only Postecoglou failed to win his 11th match in the competition, though Slot faces a stern test this weekend when Aston Villa visit Merseyside.

The Dutchman, however, insisted that his side’s flying start to the season had not come as a surprise.

“I don’t think surprise is the right word to use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing and consistency is another,” Slot concluded.

“I am not surprised because I saw the energy my players put in on a daily basis.

“Sometimes a bit of luck comes with us as well. Most of our results were deserved, but some have been a close call.

“In general, I’m not surprised because of the quality that was in the team and when I started working with them, I saw how much effort they put in to get these results.”

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— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 6, 2024