Is Curtis Jones the most underrated player in the Premier League? Proud Scouser is the heartbeat of Liverpool’s rejuvenated team with his improved stats making him ‘super, super, super important’ to Jurgen Klopp

If Gareth Southgate was as sensible as many suggest, Curtis Jones will be on a plane to the European Championships this summer.

It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the Scouser is quickly becoming the heartbeat of this quadruple-chasing Liverpool team.

A quadruple of trophies, mind you, not The Quadruple. But still.

For all the talk of a summer midfield rebuild, ‘Liverpool 2.0’ and the freakish talents of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, what is often lost is just how integral Jones is to this team.

“He’s super, super, super important for us,” said Reds boss Jurgen Klopp after another dazzling performance on Wednesday, as Liverpool came from behind (again) to beat Fulham in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. And the German coach is spot on.

Jones’ main contribution was of course the equalizer on 69 minutes, but this was another great performance from the 22-year-old, who finished with a 98 percent success rate, showing up all over the field. a throwback box-to-box midfielder role.

Is there a more underrated player in the Premier League than Jones? Personally, this reporter has previously fallen into the trap of being insecure about what he contributes, especially if he wasn’t watching him every game.

He is not a player who stands out Match of the day and he is by no means a prolific goalscorer – although that is slowly changing – but when you watch him in person every week, and especially watch games without any stress, his talents are clear.

Jones contributes in an attacking sense, with a near-perfect passing record and a growing goal threat.

He contributes defensively and urgently, clocking an average of 12.6 km per 90 minutes. He also contributes when he is away from the ball, with clever decoy runs.

In terms of minutes per goal or assist, only Pascal Gross and Douglas Luiz (both set-pieces) score higher than Jones’s 176 among central midfielders in the Premier League this season. He has already surpassed last season’s goals and tripled his assists.

According to his defensive stats, he made 0.7 interceptions per game this season, compared to 0.3 last season, and won possession 6.3 times per game, up from 4.8. He also takes more shots, makes more passes and creates more chances this season than last season.

Things haven’t always been easy for Jones. Both Klopp and England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley have previously criticized him and asked for more. When a coach publicly shuts down a player, it’s normally because he expects a backlash.

“I expect more from him,” Carsley said. ‘He has to be the best player every day and every match. I think he can score more, I think he can assist more.”

Klopp said: ‘He (had) to watch a lot of football to understand the game better.

‘Where he has improved the most is in his counter-pressing – which is exceptional – and his speed of play. He can’t hold the ball that long anymore. He does, and he has to do it in a matter of moments, but he is much quicker in his decision-making.”

Jones himself had admitted he had ‘hit a wall’ after making his first breakthrough in the 2019/20 season, scoring the winning goal in an FA Cup Merseyside Derby.

“As a youth player I was always a kid who jumped up the age categories,” he said earlier this season.

‘Then I got into the first team and I felt like I was hitting a wall and couldn’t really take the next step. So it was about going through my game and seeing where the improvements were. I’ve always been a guy who just wanted to score goals, pick up the ball and run.

‘But then I learned, ‘OK, there’s more that the gaffer and the staff want’. I’ve never been a kid who thought about pressing first or running most, so I added that to my game.

‘I try to work on the total package. I still have a lot to learn, but I’m getting there.’

Former Under 23 boss Neil Critchley handed Jones the captain’s armband, which he has worn twice this season, as Liverpool fielded a young side in a cup tie against Aston Villa as the senior stars played in the Club World Cup in Qatar.

“It’s basically a coin toss (for the bracelet),” Critchley said with a laugh at the time.

“But if Curtis gives me the coin, you can bet it’s a two-headed coin!” Jones is said to be a vibrant character, and often jokes that he is more of a Liverpudlian than Trent Alexander-Arnold.

“I always joke with Trent that I’m a real Scouser, I’m from L1,” the Toxteth-born midfielder said in an interview with The Telegraph a few years ago. ‘Those are Liverpool’s roots! You can’t be Liverpool anymore. I’m proud to come from a place like this.”

He always stars in YouTube videos posted by the club, especially about community projects, which he always carries out with a smile and a smile.

At Christmas he was filmed bursting into laughter as the team tested Darwin Nunez’s English and Scouse accent.

The past twelve months have revealed the aforementioned total package for Jones’ game. After surviving a 4–1 defeat to Manchester City in early April that left Liverpool eighth, Jones started every subsequent league match. Needless to say, the Reds didn’t lose another game.

Since that painful defeat at the Etihad Stadium, Liverpool have lost just one game. Jones was sent off in the 26th minute at Tottenham. That’s a run of one defeat in 31 games and the less said about that VAR swing at Spurs the better.

There are many factors that determine Liverpool’s success during that time, but Jones is often overlooked. It’s time to give him the praise he deserves. But perhaps the best way to sum him up is excerpts from what he has said in the past: “I’ve been with the team since I was 17.

“The journey has been up and down, but you know what, I’ve always stayed there and the mentality is always there. I have the capabilities and just needed playing time.”

In an older interview he said: ‘I don’t care who we sign. I’m a confident guy. I support myself to succeed here. Sure I will.’