"One of the best England debuts I have ever seen" - Micah Richards in awe of Liverpool star's 'extraordinary' showing against Greece
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has hailed Liverpool's Curtis Jones after he excelled on his England debut in their 3-0 win over Greece. The two sides faced off in the UEFA Nations League group stage at the Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis on Thursday, November 14.
England interim manager Lee Carsley handed Curtis Jones, who started alongside Conor Gallagher in a double pivot, his full debut. The Three Lions took an early lead via Ollie Watkins's seventh-minute goal before Odisseas Vlachodimos scored an own goal (78') to make it 2-0.
Jones scored on his debut as well, finishing with a stunning backheel in the 83rd minute to hand England a commanding lead. The Liverpool midfielder was stellar in the center of the pitch, completing 65 passes from an attempted 68 with an accuracy of 96 percent. He also won seven duels and made seven recoveries.
Richards was impressed as he said the following on The Rest is Football podcast (via Rousing the Kop):
“Curtis Jones was extraordinary. That is one of the best England debuts I have ever seen. What I mean by that is that when you got to England sometimes the pace is a bit slower and you play the easy pass. If you look at Curtis Jones’ body positions he was always available every time."
He added:
“When you are playing that position in a pivot you don’t always have to be dribbling past people, breaking the lines and playing a fantastic pass it’s just being available for the ball. I think him in that role, sometimes at Liverpool, he plays as a number eight and likes to get in the box as we saw for that goal, but in terms of being that person who is not afraid to get on it, it showed me his character and how fearless he is.”
Jones has been excellent for Liverpool this season, forcing his way into Arne Slot's starting XI. The 23-year-old has scored one goal and provided four assists in 13 appearances across competitions to date.
"I’m training very hard to keep my condition" - Liverpool star Wataru Endo provides verdict on Arne Slot amid reduced role this season
Liverpool defensive midfielder Wataru Endo reckons Arne Slot is much more positional compared to Jurgen Klopp as well as Japan's head coach Hajime Moriyasu. He also spoke on his reduced role with the Reds following the impressive rise of Ryan Gravenberch as Slot's preferred No. 6.
The Reds signed Endo from VfB Stuttgart last summer for a reported fee of £16 million. The Japan skipper become an essential part of Klopp's midfield, helping Liverpool win the Carabao Cup.
Unfortunately, Endo is yet to win over Slot, with Gravenberch comfortably ahead of him in the pecking order. The 31-year-old has made just two starts this season, with both coming in the EFL Cup. In addition, he has played just 20 minutes in the PL and UCL as a substitute across six games.
Endo said (via Rousing the Kop):
“With regards to attacking, you could say Slot is more positional — he’s the kind of coach who’s very precise about where each individual player should be positioned. Moriyasu is more flexible, and while he has a base, he gives the players the option to sometimes build as a four or sometimes as a three. Maybe that’s similar to the style of Klopp last year"
On his playing time, he continued:
“Of course, when you’re not playing, people keep asking about your game sense or if it’s affecting your performance. I’m not playing, but I’m training very hard to keep my condition, and as captain I feel I have to show a high level of performance for the national team.”
Endo will be hoping to feature in Liverpool's next fixture against Southampton (November 24).