Jurgen Klopp has admitted that Curtis Jones ran out of energy against Chelsea as the Liverpool midfielder came off with 11 minutes to play at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking to Liverpool’s official website, the Anfield boss revealed that the England youth international was tired having started for Liverpool against Chelsea in a 0-0 draw in the English capital, where Klopp made a number of changes to the XI that recently lost to Manchester City.
With Arsenal coming up on Sunday, Klopp arguably made the right choice to rest the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk against Chelsea, though it now feels unlikely that Jones will get the start on Sunday when the Gunners travel to Anfield.
Klopp said on Jones’ performance against Chelsea: “Good. Absolutely good. Until he lost power a little bit, but that’s now completely normal. [The] midfield was OK, but, if you go back and look [at] all the chances Chelsea had [it] was after we lose the ball in the moment where we cannot lose the ball.”
Indeed, whilst the match wasn’t the most intense, it’s clear that Jones found the occasion difficult to handle on his body, with the midfielder now a prime candidate to return to the bench for this weekend when Liverpool host Arsenal in a massive Premier League fixture.
Jones gave a good account for himself as Liverpool draw with Chelsea
Jones has become a divisive figure amongst Liverpool supporters in the last two seasons, with some fans believing that the midfielder isn’t good enough to warrant a spot in the squad whilst others agree that the Kirkby academy graduate just needs more time to hit his stride.
However, one thing fans can agree on is that the midfielder did well against Chelsea, with Jones working well alongside Fabinho and Joe Gomez. And whilst the youngster will likely drop to the bench to face Arsenal, the 22-year-old gave a good account of himself at Stamford Bridge.
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