Arne Slot Emphasizes Consistency for Curtis Jones

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has urged midfielder Curtis Jones to achieve greater consistency in his performances, stating that “the best players in the world show up every three days.” Jones has been selected for the England squad for upcoming matches in November. Jones has recently displayed strong form, including scoring in a league victory against Chelsea and delivering a crucial pass that led to Luis Diaz’s goal in Tuesday’s 4-0 Champions League triumph over Bayer Leverkusen. The 23-year-old, who remains uncapped, has once more received a call-up to the England squad for November’s fixtures. He was previously included as an injury replacement in the last England camp but had to withdraw following the birth of his daughter. Slot commented on Jones’s recent improvement, stating, “With Curtis maybe it’s not me who did it because he became a father and I had nothing to do with that.” He continued, “You never know if that plays a part or not but, since the moment he became a father, he started putting great performances in.” Slot noted, “He did it in pre-season but then his performances dropped a little bit. Since he became a father, he’s outstanding again. It might have to do a bit with that but, in general, I think it has to do with how the team plays.” This summer, Jones expressed that Slot’s playing style was well-suited to him “because I can get on the ball more and be free,” following the Dutchman’s appointment as Liverpool manager, succeeding Jurgen Klopp. Slot further elaborated on Jones’s attributes, stating, “He has a lot of quality on the ball.” He continued, “He’s never afraid to do something special with it. Sometimes that leads to situations when, in my opinion, he touched that ball a bit too much because sometimes he’s a bit too over-confident.” Slot also praised his defensive contributions: “He combines this with an incredibly hard work-rate and we can trust him in defence. He’s quite complete but for him now it’s all about consistency. The best players in the world show up every three days.” Slot concluded by emphasizing, “If he wants to continue progressing that’s what he has to show now, to be every three days the player he’s been for us in the last few weeks.” Liverpool currently leads the Premier League table, holding a two-point advantage over reigning champions Manchester City ahead of Saturday’s match against Aston Villa. The team also sits atop their Champions League group in its new format this season, having secured four victories in four games. Slot has led the Reds to 14 victories in his initial 16 matches since taking over from Klopp, but he maintains that no one at the club is becoming complacent. He stated, “We are there to do our work and become better players on a daily basis or keep having the same level.” Slot added, “It’s not the first time that this club is where it is at the moment. I think for most of these players it is a normal situation and I don’t think they get carried away at all by us being top of the league at the moment.” He further explained, “They know how small the margins are when it comes to our results and the amount of points we are ahead of the other teams.” He further stated, “I’m not trying to manage expectations with the squad because we don’t talk about expectations.” Slot clarified, “The only expectations I have is that they put the same effort in on a daily basis. That’s the only thing we focus on.” In other news, Slot indicated that injured forward Diogo Jota is not anticipated to return until “one or two weeks after the international break.” Jota has been sidelined since the victory against Chelsea on 20 October, when the Portugal international sustained a chest injury after Blues defender Tosin Adarabioyo landed on him during a tackle.