In Wednesday’s 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Leicester, Jurgen Klopp playfully used the promise of the captain’s armband to persuade Curtis Jones to embrace the idea of playing right-back for Liverpool. The 22-year-old, who was the only player retained from the previous game against West Ham, shifted from midfield to fill the right-back position due to the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez, with Stefan Bajcetic on the bench after previously playing as a right-back against LASK last week.
Despite having several experienced players in the lineup, Jones took on the role of captain as he adapted to his new position. Klopp commented, “Yesterday, when I told him he would play right-back, I sold the right-back idea with the captaincy. He was already completely excited when I told him he would play right-back, and the way he executed it was super special, I have to say. Wow.”
Jones was considered as a potential solution for the position due to the unavailability of other players, and his ability to enjoy being on the ball made him a suitable choice. Klopp praised his performance, especially given that it was his first time playing in such an unfamiliar position, but expressed his intention to utilize Jones more frequently in his natural midfield position.
Klopp also commended several other Liverpool players for their performances in the come-from-behind victory, including Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo, Jarell Quansah, Harvey Elliott, and Ryan Gravenberch. The team enjoyed the match, demonstrated great signs of quality, and continued to press until the final whistle, despite facing a confident Leicester side.
Klopp acknowledged the challenge posed by Leicester’s quality and their well-coached team but expressed satisfaction with the way his team improved collectively and individually throughout the game.