Yes I don’t see much of a Gini/Curtis crossover. Agree that Keita and Ox are the ones that might slip down the pecking order if Jones continues to develop like this. He’s maturing all the time. I like his discipline now. Not just in possession but out of it. I think he can see what a great opportunity he has now to really establish himself and is taking it.
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But what will happen when Thiago, Ox, Keïta and Shaqiri are back, will he get playing then too?
He should, if he’s playing better than them. Kelleher got chance yesterday, despite Adrian being available. Neco Williams got chance after Klopp substituted him last time and could have gone with Fab at RB and Rhys/ Natt at CB.
Think players get chances on basis of meritocracy and how they were performing in training (and fitness ofcourse), and a reason why probably Minamino isn’t featuring enough.
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He’s clearly better than Shaqiri as a midfielder, not a question. IMO he’s easily clear of Ox too.
Regardless, it will be a nice problem to have all those players fit, not one I can envisage us having this season.
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Well, I think Thiago is in the top 5 of midfielders in the world and Hendo is our captain so it leaves only one spot for Jones together with a lot of others. Klopp likes to play the more experienced players first I don’t know how many chances he will get. We will see.
BTW @ILLOK indeed it is a nice problem to have.
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He will be in the mix 100% as I said in the pre-match thread I see zero drop in levels with him playing v’s Gini/Hendo which is a huge compliment. He for me is now part of the 1st team squad, pushing to be a regular starter.
His minutes will need managing as he is only 19 so we need to be careful of burn out.
My view is we would work something like;
#6 - Thiago, Fabinho
#8 - Gini, Henderson, Milner
#8 - Jones, Keita, Oxlade
If Curtis stays fit he is pushing to be in the mix every game.
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And probably the most beneficial thing you can have at your disposal this season is a young kid establishing himself who physically wont be suffering with the short turn around the seasoned pros will.
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We’ll be going two games a week until March. It’s not a problem.
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Klopp has a plan. Now I can’t discuss such delicates in an open forum. But if you come around with a bottle and some fine Kebab, we can spend an evening fussing over it.
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Anyone else noticed that he’s changed physically?
Not sure when exactly, but it seems to me like he has gained in weight/muscle. He was always of pretty good height (1.85m?) for a naturally technical/offensive midfielder, so that adds to it. He’s probably our second tallest midfielder after Fabinho.
I think he gained more in that physical aspect, which is totally understandable and needed to be able to perform in a Klopp midfield, but I feel he lost a tiny bit in the agility/footwork/ball manipulation part. I remember he was lighter on his feet, more frequency with touches. His legs at the moment can go a bit wild like Hendo’s.
He remains a very clean player technically, but I’m just noticing that he’s now learning how to play with a physically improved body type.
I think it’s the mental and physical part where he proved to Klopp that he’s now more ready to earn more game time in certain games.
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Good call!
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The kid regularly criticised for being too flashy is quietly turning into a rock solid midfielder. So impressive.
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Was happy to see him more as a LCM, rather than RCM, especially with Neco being on a yellow card early on. I think he should play there more often, as he showed he can also shoot well from that inside left position with his right. In last game we’re also seeing Klopp using Gini more at #6 rather than Hendo when the two of them are playing, probably to preserve Gini because he’s been playing a lot of football lately.
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Only in the team because he is a Scouser.
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Very impressed with Curtis’s work rate and positioning defensively today, we all know how can contribute on the ball, but he worked hard, pressed and was mostly in the right positions behind the ball.
Well done Curtis
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He is a special special player, he has blown me away with how tactical astute and team orientated he is…
I expected a much more flashier, risk taking player (with high turn overs)… He is the opposite, a complete safe pair of hands who works incredibly hard.
He sometimes takes a little to long (think he could have released Salah earlier last night at one point) on the ball, but this is proper nit picking. At 19 he will refine and play a bit quicker, what a baller.
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About the biggest compliment you could pay him is that is no longer the talented lad from the academy. He’s solidly a member of the first team squad and he’d holding his own alongside some of the best midfielders in the country.
I agreed with comment on the Anfield Wrap the other week that said if he was breaking through for Dortmund or Ajax the conversation would be around which European giant are going to buy him for £50m.
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Training 1 -v- Transfers 0
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