“That’s what you lack when Trent is not playing” - Liverpool boss Arne Slot explains decision to play Curtis Jones at right-back vs Everton
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has opened up about playing midfielder Curtis Jones as a right-back in the Merseyside Derby against Everton on Wednesday. He said Jones played there due to his ability on the ball and injuries in the squad.
The Reds beat rivals Everton 1-0 at Anfield on Wednesday in the Premier League. They were without Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Bradley, who are the main right-backs. Joe Gomez, who can play across the backline, was also injured. Hence, instead of going with centre-back Jarrel Quansah, Slot played Jones as a right-back.
After the game, he explained his decision, saying (via The Liverpool Offside):
“Three full-backs were injured: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez. Then it’s a choice of playing a centre-back over there. Jarell [Quansah] did quite OK in that position, to be fair, and he would have helped us with set-pieces.
"But I felt - we felt - that we had to play better with the ball than we did in the away game. It’s a risk to play a midfielder over there maybe. But I knew that he could help with his creativity in this position because that’s what you lack, of course, when Trent is not playing for you.”
Jones did well against Everton, making one block and one interception. He won 3/5 duels, completed 68/73, made one key pass, and also attempted one shot.
Arne Slot shares thoughts on Diogo Jota's goal in Liverpool's win over Everton
The Reds dominated the Merseyside Derby on Wednesday, but both sides had chances in the first half. However, they failed to capitalize on them and it ended goalless.
In the second half, Diogo Jota received the ball at the edge of the box in the 57th minute. He went past a couple of Everton players and finished brilliantly. It ended up being the winner for Liverpool. After the game, Arne Slot spoke about the Portuguese attacker's goal, saying (via Liverpoolfc.com):
"Very pleased. He was close to it already in the first half; I think it was after seven or eight minutes. It was not a surprise they blocked that shot because they are defensively an incredibly strong team. For him to come up in the second half, he had two of these moments as well and the other moment was blocked. But [for the goal] he found just a bit of space and he scored the goal, which was nice for him but nice for us - and by us, I mean his teammates, the staff and the fans."
Jota has now scored eight goals and provided four assists in 29 games across competitions for Liverpool this season.
