Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has issued a light-hearted apology to Curtis Jones over his lack of first-team minutes after the midfielder shone vs Fulham.
Jürgen Klopp has jokingly said sorry to Curtis Jones, a ‘really cool’ Liverpool star, for not giving him enough time on the pitch. This came after Jones shone in the 2-1 victory over Fulham.
The Reds played against Marco Silva’s team at Anfield for the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. The home fans were shocked when Willian scored the first goal for Fulham, but Liverpool turned things around in the second half and is now looking forward to the second leg.
Jones scored the equalizing goal, even though it took a big deflection off Tosin Adarabioyo before going into the net. Cody Gakpo scored the winner, but Jones was the star of the show. His performance might help him cement his place as a regular starter.
Jones, who graduated from the Reds academy, has been part of the first team for several years. However, he sometimes comes off the bench for big games and starts against smaller teams or in lesser competitions. This season, Jones has only started seven Premier League matches.
After the match, Jones said that getting more time on the pitch is helping him improve. He also said that he is focused on maintaining his performance level. Klopp seemed to agree with Jones and suggested that he should have used him more often.
“Curtis is super, super, super important to us and he knows that,” the Liverpool manager explained. “Coincidentally I heard his interview and the only thing to break through was ‘I need more game time’. I love that! So sorry Curtis that I didn’t give you more game time earlier.
“He has made big steps. He looked like the fittest player on the whole pitch. He got a knock, I think a dead leg, he went down, but then a second later he turned around and scored.
“A good footballer, very, very good he always was… but using these skills, he is now for me, for him for everybody thank god, doing it consistently. That is really cool. He made big steps in defensive things, which gives him a better feeling for the game. It is a joy to have the boy around because he has this natural scouse confidence and it is really cool.”
Liverpool boasts a one-goal advantage going into the second leg at Craven Cottage in just under two weeks’ time. For now, Klopp’s focus will be firmly on the trip to Bournemouth on January 21 as the Reds aim to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.
