Liverpool star believes he SHOULD start every big game - but Arne Slot disagrees | OneFootball

Liverpool star believes he SHOULD start every big game - but Arne Slot disagrees | OneFootball

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·8 February 2026

Liverpool star believes he SHOULD start every big game - but Arne Slot disagrees

Article image:Liverpool star believes he SHOULD start every big game - but Arne Slot disagrees

Curtis Jones and his squad place

There’s a lot of speculation around Curtis Jones right now and rightfully so. The Scouser has under 18 months remaining on his contract and Inter felt confident enough to put an offer forward at the transfer deadline.

The situation is complicated by the fact Jones doesn’t have a solid first-team place. He’s at a point in his career where he really should have that - but it’s up for debate whether it should be at Liverpool.


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The Athletic reports that Jones believes he should be starting every big game for the Reds. Arne Slot clearly disagrees, given he essentially never picks the midfielder in major fixtures.

Take the two matches against Arsenal this season, for instance. Jones started neither but did get 30 minutes in the home fixture. The away clash last month, however, saw him sit it out as an unused substitute.

Slot hasn’t exactly given reason for encouragement, either. Not publicly, anyway.

He’s talked about Jones being unlucky that there haven't been many injuries in midfield, suggesting that’s the only real way he’ll get regular game time. That’s not going to be good enough for a player of this quality.

And given Alexis Mac Allister has struggled for consistency himself, Jones will rightfully question why he’s not been given similar chances. But it increasingly feels that those chances just simply won’t be given out.

As he heads towards the end of his deal, few would be surprised at this stage if the midfielder moved on. As gutting as that would be.

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