Press conference'He likes to be challenged' - Arne Slot on the importance of Curtis Jones' versatility
Adaptability is a trait that makes Curtis Jones a valued member of Arne Slot’s Liverpool squad.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez ruled out through injury, Slot deployed Jones, ordinarily a midfielder, at right-back for Wednesday night’s Merseyside derby at Anfield.
The No.17 duly produced an excellent performance in an unfamiliar role as Liverpool beat Everton 1-0 thanks to Diogo Jota’s second-half goal.
On Thursday morning, Slot held his press conference ahead of the Premier League leaders’ trip to Fulham and was asked about the benefits of Jones’ ability to play in several positions.
The head coach replied: “That’s very useful for me. Of course, me and Richard [Hughes] talk a lot about this season and next season and it is nice to have versatile players and Curtis is definitely one of them.
“He has a skill set that he can defend, he can attack and that’s why he can play in so many positions. And he has this mentality [that] if you give him a challenge, he likes to be challenged and yesterday was a challenge for him because it wasn’t his normal position.
“Some players hate a challenge, they like to stay in their comfort zone, but Curtis is the type of player that wants to be challenged if you challenge him.
“If you tell him he is playing against the best English midfielder under 21 or something like this, and I want to see how you do against that, then he is up for the challenge. I didn’t ask him to stand up against [Abdoulaye] Doucoure after the away game but he likes those challenges as well!
“So, good to have him. Now it’s up to him [so] if I play him again on Sunday that it’s not, ‘One time show yourself,’ because consistency is the thing what brings you from good to great and that is now, if I play him again, what he has to show on Sunday.”
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