Curtis Jones has opened up on his miss during Liverpool’s penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, admitting he would have felt worse if he didn’t step forward.
Jones and teammate Darwin Nunez were denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma during the shootout at Anfield as Liverpool exited the Champions League at the last 16 stage. The defeat ended hopes of a historic treble but Liverpool’s focus now switches to Sunday’s Carabao Cup final with Newcastle.
While Nunez appeared distraught at the final whistle, Jones offered a more positive outlook and believes the miss can only make him stronger, both as a player and a person.
Speaking to The Athletic, the midfielder said: “I went home and slept fine. I see it as part of my journey. I’m a confident lad and I’ve got trust in myself. My attitude is that I want the team to rely on me. That comes with risk and the possibility of failure.
“There will be times when it’s me taking the last shot at the end of a game or picking up the ball and running at them. There will be times when it goes well, other times when I get caught in possession or miss a penalty, like Tuesday night.
“That comes with who I want to be. I don’t just want to be seen as a guy who coasts around in games or is happy just to be there and part of the team. I want to be seen as a lad who is a big part of things. I have to step up with that weight on my shoulders.
“You see all the greats around the world in sport. There are times when they succeed, times when they fail. But they are great because they do it again and again. You have got to be fine with missing. I’m fine if I go up there and I miss, but I’m not fine if I’m driving home knowing I was too scared to take a penalty. I had peace of mind. I could have walked down the line and hoped it didn’t get to me (in the shootout), but that’s not me.”
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Jones had some better news on Friday when he was rewarded with a place in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad. He lifted the lid on some early conversations with his new international boss.
The midfielder added: “We had a Zoom call a couple of months ago. He said he’s happy with the season I’m having and that I need to carry that on. It was a nice talk. It’s clear that he’s a fan of me.
“It’s so hard to get in that England team with so many talented lads. But I know what I have to do — playing regularly at this club, scoring goals and helping the team.”
