Curtis Jones’ mobile phone pinged with a text message from the Football Association early on Friday morning.
The Liverpool midfielder did not need an England call-up from Thomas Tuchel to help him get over missing a penalty in Tuesday’s Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.
Jones had already moved on before Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United at Wembley, but a place in the 26-man squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia was further recognition that his career has gone to the next level at Anfield this season.
“I’m buzzing. To get called up shows how well you’re doing for your club,” he tells The Athletic in an exclusive interview at the club’s Kirkby training base.
“It shows I am on the right path. I just need to keep working hard. I found out about an hour before the squad was announced with a text saying I’d been picked.”
Jones, who scored on his senior international debut under interim manager Lee Carsley against Greece in the Nations League in November, was aware that new England manager Tuchel rated him highly.
“We had a Zoom call a couple of months ago,” he says. “Thomas seems like a great man — very down to earth. He had a smile on his face. We were talking about our children.
“He said he’s happy with the season I’m having and that I need to carry that on. It was a nice talk. It’s clear that he’s a fan of me. It’s so hard to get in that England team with so many talented lads. But I know what I have to do — playing regularly at this club, scoring goals and helping the team.”
Some players in Jones’ position would have swerved the media after the heartache of midweek, but how he handled that setback speaks volumes about the mentality that has enabled him to succeed at his boyhood club.
The academy graduate has no regrets about volunteering to step up and take Liverpool’s third penalty against PSG. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had saved Darwin Nunez’s spot kick, dived to his right to deny Jones as the French champions won 4-1 in the shootout after the round-of-16 tie had finished 1-1 on aggregate.
Jones’ penalty was kept out by Donnarumma (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Bowing out of the Champions League hurt but Jones, 24, would have felt worse if he had avoided the responsibility of that high-pressure situation.
“I went home and slept fine. I see it as part of my journey,” he says. “I’m a confident lad and I’ve got trust in myself. My attitude is that I want the team to rely on me. That comes with risk and the possibility of failure.
“There will be times when it’s me taking the last shot at the end of a game or picking up the ball and running at them. There will be times when it goes well, other times when I get caught in possession or miss a penalty, like Tuesday night.
“That comes with who I want to be. I don’t just want to be seen as a guy who coasts around in games or is happy just to be there and part of the team. I want to be seen as a lad who is a big part of things. I have to step up with that weight on my shoulders.
“You see all the greats around the world in sport. There are times when they succeed, times when they fail. But they are great because they do it again and again. You have got to be fine with missing. I’m fine if I go up there and I miss, but I’m not fine if I’m driving home knowing I was too scared to take a penalty.”
So, he genuinely didn’t need anyone to help lift his spirits? “No, although the staff and the lads were all around me, and I was seeing positive things off the fans — I’m my own man,” he says. “I had peace of mind. I could have walked down the line and hoped it didn’t get to me (in the shootout), but that’s not me.”
Fatherhood has changed Jones. His long-term partner, Saffie, gave birth to their daughter Giselle in October.
“It’s amazing. I’ll get told off by my girlfriend for saying this but I find it easy,” he laughs. “The baby is sleeping great. My girlfriend always says: ‘Don’t jinx it!’. But she’s five months now so I don’t think it’s going to change.
“Becoming a dad has changed me. It’s made me realise there’s more to life than being a footballer. The most important thing now is being a great dad and making sure that the home is always a happy place for the baby.
“Having my own child also helps when things aren’t going so well because I go home, I see her and I don’t want to bring my work life home with me.
“I could score a hat-trick or have a bad game, but as soon as I see her, I forget all those other things around me. It’s all about spending time bonding with her.”
Jones after scoring against Greece for England (Aris Oikonomou/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images)
Jones has kicked on impressively under the guidance of Arne Slot. His next appearance will be his 37th in all competitions in 2024-25 — the most he has managed in a season.
Jones made headlines during the pre-season tour of America when he said it was “probably the happiest I’ve been… this now is more me… I can get on the ball more… we’re not in a rush to attack”. Some interpreted that as a criticism of former manager Jurgen Klopp.
“It definitely wasn’t a dig at Jurgen,” he says. “I owe him so much. Jurgen changed me from a boy to a man. There were times when I thought I’d need a loan spell to get more game time but he kept me around the team.
“Yeah, it wasn’t always as easy I would have wanted it to be because I’m a lad who wants to play. Jurgen made me understand the game a lot more from being a kid at the academy who was scoring and assisting all the time and didn’t really have to run. I could do whatever I wanted.
“The next step was to keep that ability but change stuff like passing the ball even more and the work off the ball. I wasn’t always the best kid, but I wasn’t arrogant or cocky. I just wanted the best for myself. He was the man who made me understand so much.”
Eight months on, the point Jones was making at the time is crystal clear as Liverpool prepare for another final and close in on the Premier League title. He knew that Slot’s brand of football would suit his skill set — the build-up play is more measured and the midfield is tasked with dictating games rather than quickly feeding the front three.
“I could see from the first week’s training sessions that Arne was big on playing small-sided games,” he says.
“It was more the kind of sessions where I could show myself. I’m the kind of player who wants to take risks on the ball. I want to give you the ball but I want it back as well. I’m just a lad in love with the game. I love having a ball at my feet. When sessions are like that, I’ve got the best chance of showing my best.
“I’m pleased with the consistency I’ve shown this season. This season, I’ve done it, playing well game after game. It comes with the trust of the staff who came in. They see how well I train every day. I’m happy that I’ve gained their trust.”
Jones caught Slot’s eye in pre-season (John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
The Athletic is talking to Jones on the first floor of the training centre as Jarell Quansah, who is set to deputise at right-back in the absence of the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold at Wembley, walks past below us.
“Jarell! Congratulations man. My guy!” Jones bellows in recognition of his 22-year-old team-mate also being called up by Tuchel for England duty.
After seeing his progress hampered by injury issues in recent years, Jones has benefited from how Slot and his staff have improved player availability.
“I’d been unfortunate at times. Even when I couldn’t stay fit, I was doing everything right — time in the gym, ice baths, sleeping well, eating well, my own chef and physio at home,” he says.
“Sometimes you need a bit of luck and now I’ve found a consistent schedule. I do the same things every day and there’s a good balance.
“You can see that the gaffer and his staff chop and change the team. He regularly makes subs. He moves lads around. He doesn’t just run the same lads into the ground.
“I have started games when Dom (Szoboszlai) has been on the bench. Dom has started with me on the bench or Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) on the bench or Ryan (Gravenberch) gets subbed off. It’s about balancing the workload to try to keep everyone fit.”
And there’s the man-management side of Slot’s rotation policy. Fifteen of Jones’ 36 appearances have been off the bench.
“It’s the way he explains things, it’s not that you aren’t starting because you aren’t good enough. You respect his plan as that’s the best setup for a particular game.
“He will pull you aside, speak with you and say: ‘It’s not that I don’t trust you in this game, you are still going to play a huge part’. That’s why he’s kept everyone in the squad fine. Even the lads who don’t start regularly feel like they’re a part of the team.”
Jones’ pass completion rate of 93.6 per cent (624 out of 667, according to FBRef) is the highest among all Premier League midfielders this season. He has showcased his versatility by playing six different roles (compare the graphic below with his 2023-24 pitch map, further down, when he hardly deviated from central midfield). He boasts three goals and six assists in all competitions.
“Fans maybe only see goals or assists, or when you give away the ball, rather than the bigger things around it,” he says.
“I’ve played on the left, I’ve played as a No 9, No 10, No 8 and a No 6. On top of that, I’m somebody who doesn’t just pass it sideways. I like to take risks.
“I’ve been criticised for staying on the ball a bit too long. But that’s because I have so much trust in my ability. I wouldn’t want to just have the ball, get pressed and then give it to somebody else who has to handle being pressed.
“I’d rather keep hold of the ball because I’m comfortable and slow the game down. If I can attract two guys and then release the ball, it gives somebody else more time on the ball, who maybe isn’t as comfortable on it. That’s what I try and do. You have to have an understanding of knowing each guy you’re playing alongside.”
Jones has yet to feature in a final for Liverpool and is eager to put that right at Wembley on Sunday.
An ankle injury meant he missed last February’s dramatic Carabao Cup triumph over Chelsea and he didn’t make the bench for the 2022 final victory over the same opponents. He was an unused substitute for the Champions League and FA Cup finals in 2022.
“Yeah, it would be extra special,” he says. “I had to watch with a protective boot on last year and then a couple of years before that, I was left out of the squad for whatever reason. I wasn’t happy but I had to respect Jurgen’s choices.
“This time, hopefully, I will play a huge role. I don’t just want to be playing in the earlier rounds when certain lads are having a rest. I want to play in the most important games.
“This season I’ve been fortunate to play in big games and done well. I don’t know if I will start or not. But I know I’ll be involved. If I don’t start, I’ll be around the lads who are starting and helping them in any way that I can.”
Jones talking to The Athletic at Liverpool’s training ground (The Athletic)
The build-up has been dominated by talk of Newcastle’s 70-year wait for a domestic trophy but Jones, who will link up with the England squad on Monday, dismissed suggestions that it is a bigger occasion for Eddie Howe’s side.
“It’s the wrong way to look at it,” he says. “We’re a huge club and expected to win silverware. It’s as huge for us as it is Newcastle.”
After the international break, it’s all about wrapping up the Premier League title. Liverpool hold a 15-point lead over Arsenal, who play their game in hand against Chelsea on Sunday.
Having grown up in the city, Jones knows what that achievement would mean to the supporters who were denied the chance to properly celebrate the 2019-20 title due to Covid-19 restrictions. Back then, captain Jordan Henderson lifted the trophy in an almost deserted Anfield and there was no trophy parade.
“I’m excited but it’s smart to keep our heads down. We’ve still got nine league games left,” he says.
“It would be mad if we started thinking we’ve already won it. It’s positive around the place and we all know the situation that we’re in. But we have never had a talk as a team saying: ‘Boys, we’re going to do it’.
“Virg (van Dijk) has done an amazing job as captain. After every game, his message is always: ‘We just move on to the next game’. You don’t want to look too far ahead and Virg has been brilliant at ensuring everyone sees it like that. He’s a global star but a humble man and he makes sure that the team retains the same mentality.”
Jones, who joined the academy at age nine, has come a long way since he was handed his Liverpool debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup in January 2019. Back then, he was a skinny 17-year-old left-winger with a box of tricks. Now, he’s a tactically disciplined and flexible central midfielder.
There have been plenty of hurdles but he’s still standing with 169 senior matches under his belt. His self-belief has been unwavering.
“Where I’m from, we didn’t have much, so you were always like the underdog,” he says. “I didn’t have a big back garden to play in. We used to play out on the street or climb over the fence into my school to play on the field. You had to make the most of what you had.
“Being a Scouser at the academy coming through, the lads who got brought in (from other clubs) were always seen as the first ones who needed a chance because the club had paid money for them. Again, you’re the underdog.
“I never cared about the names around me. My attitude was always: ‘I’ll show you’. It’s served me well with all the stuff that’s happened over the years. The injuries, being left out of squads, people saying he needs to go out on loan or leave the club. I stayed here and stuck to my plan: ‘I’m going to make it here’.
“I’ve come out the other side. That shows the mindset I’ve got — now I’ll keep pushing.”
(Top photo: Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
