Alexis Mac Allister’s backside was undoubtedly not expected to be on the agenda as Liverpool ramped up preparations for their latest European encounter.
for Curtis Jones, it’s just another lesson to note in his continued education under Jurgen Klopp.
Jones:
“Mac Allister how he protects the ball, I’ve never seen before,”
“He can receive the ball and he does this thing where he sticks his bum out a little bit and you can’t take the ball from him. It’s his experience in that he knows when he’s going to get pressed and which way he moves.”
“I can talk about Mo (Salah),”
"There are times in the game where’s not really doing a lot but then he’ll go and score. He is staying involved in the game.
"You might not think he’s that lively but his mind is always ‘I’m going to get the goal for the team’.
“I learn off all of the lads. I’m just that type. I’ll always try to take bits out of their game and see how it works on me.”
Jones can expect to feature when Liverpool look to extend a 100% start to their Europa League group campaign
Jones added
“It has been tough,”
“I was at a point where I was playing games and doing well and a small mistake like that stops the run of games. But that’s in the past now, I’ve moved on"
“Do I have any complaints about the red card? Yes and no. In terms of the tackle itself and how I saw it, I was unfortunate.
"But then I saw what the referee was shown, he was only shown a clip of where my foot was on his (Yves Bissouma) leg, so it’s understandable at the same time.”
"It’s Liverpool at the end of the day,”
“The competition is always tough. I came into the team when I was 17 and the competition then was Wijnaldum, Henderson, Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain, so it’s always been a world class team. I’m at the point where it has changed a bit. There are younger lads in there which has freshened it up.
“But it’s the same, it’s still a centre mid where if you are playing well you keep your place, and if not then of course it’s going to get changed around. The competition is good and healthy. The team is doing well and that’s the most important thing.”
“As an Academy kid, I was always a kid who jumped up the age groups and then I came into the first team and I kind of felt I had hit a wall and couldn’t take the next step,” he says. “It was more just going over my game and seeing where I can improve.
“I’ve always been a lad who comes into a team and wants to score goals and pick up the ball and run with it, but I learned there’s more that the gaffer and staff want. My mindset has changed and I have matured.
“The fans now say how I go and press. Now I’ve added that into my game. I’m trying to work on my overall package and still have things to learn. But I’m getting there.”
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