Gary Neville’s recent prediction about Curtis Jones came to the forefront as Liverpool was exposed in its defeat against Fulham.
Arne Slot’s side took the lead through Alexis Mac Allister’s strike, but Fulham quickly responded. Ryan Sessegnon equalized, then Alex Iwobi capitalized on Andy Robertson’s errors to put Fulham ahead. Rodrigo Muniz added a third, leaving Liverpool 3-1 down at halftime. Despite making four second-half changes, Liverpool pushed for a comeback and created chances, through Luis Diaz, but couldn’t claw their way back.
When Curtis Jones emerged under Jurgen Klopp in 2020, he had a few appearances as a right-back, and three years later, he again filled that role, captaining Liverpool to a League Cup win over Leicester. A Merseyside derby is a different challenge, but Jones was solid as Liverpool secured a 1-0 victory. His performance earned praise from manager Arne Slot, who highlighted the importance of versatile players. However Neville offered a surprising take.
“I’m going to be quite ruthless here,” Neville said on Sky Sports. “There’s no doubt that there are games where Curtis Jones could play right-back, but I think he (Slot) may play Quansah on Sunday at Fulham purely because it’s away from home and the away of doing a lot more defending, you’re going to get a lot more pressure.
“But I think the idea that Curtis Jones can play full-back remains to be seen, because if he’s playing against PSG or the top teams, you will get found out if you’re not competent defensively. I know there’s a feeling in football that everyone can play right-back, but I’m going to push back a little bit and say it’s more challenging when it comes to the big games and playing against fantastic players.
“Will he be able to play at the Bernabeu and play against Real Madrid or City away or United away? I’m not so sure, he might have some problems, but he’s got the physical attributes for it and the ability on the ball, it’s just has he got the concentration, has he got the positional sense. He can work on it, but let’s see.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Jones struggled for large parts of the game against Fulham, often torn apart by Antonee Robinson and Iwobi, with little support from Mohamed Salah’s lack of tracking back. His slow reactions led to Fulham’s opening goal, as he half-heartedly challenged for the ball, allowing Sessegnon to score. However, Jones found more success after moving into midfield in the second half, where he became much more effective.
The midfielder’s performance against Fulham seemed to confirm Neville’s worries. As Liverpool struggled to break down their opponents, Neville’s “ruthless” forecast highlighted the vulnerabilities in Jones’ game. With the Reds failing to maintain their defensive solidity and attacking flow.
The Reds were boosted by the return of Conor Bradley who had an impressive cameo, making the Reds look more balanced and providing an assist. It seems logical that Bradley will return to the starting line-up against West Ham.
