{"id":58764,"date":"2026-02-16T08:24:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T08:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/?p=58764"},"modified":"2026-02-16T08:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T08:24:11","slug":"curtis-jones-issues-direct-statement-to-arne-slot-while-szoboszlai-moves-away-from-gerrard-comparisons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/?p=58764","title":{"rendered":"Curtis Jones Issues Direct Statement to Arne Slot While Szoboszlai Moves Away from Gerrard Comparisons"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Momentum is gradually building again at Anfield.<\/p>\n<p>Following a challenging and inconsistent spell, Liverpool FC produced an emphatic 3-0 win over Brighton &amp; Hove Albion to book their place in the next round of the FA Cup \u2014 and belief is starting to return among supporters.<\/p>\n<p>Goals from Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo wrapped up a dominant performance, with several impressive individual displays restoring confidence around the ground.<\/p>\n<p>Although the Premier League title may now be slipping away, there is still plenty to fight for. The Reds remain firmly in the hunt in the FA Cup and are also gearing up for the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League after finishing the group stage on a strong note.<\/p>\n<p>Jones Thrives in Unfamiliar Territory<\/p>\n<p>One of the main storylines from the victory over Brighton was Curtis Jones lining up at right-back.<\/p>\n<p>With injuries limiting options, manager Arne Slot was forced to reshuffle \u2014 and Jones responded superbly.<\/p>\n<p>Naturally a central midfielder, the 25-year-old delivered a calm and energetic display on the right side of defence and even found the net himself.<\/p>\n<p>After the game, Jones underlined his commitment to the team, insisting he is prepared to play wherever needed. While midfield remains his natural role, he stressed that contributing to the side\u2019s success matters more than position \u2014 whether that\u2019s at full-back, centre-back or further forward.<\/p>\n<p>His readiness to adapt reflects both his versatility and growing leadership qualities. A boyhood supporter, Jones has previously spoken of his ambition to captain Liverpool one day \u2014 and performances like this strengthen that claim.<\/p>\n<p>For Slot, having such tactical flexibility within the squad could prove crucial as Liverpool compete on multiple fronts.<\/p>\n<p>Szoboszlai Downplays Gerrard Comparisons<\/p>\n<p>If Jones demonstrated adaptability, Szoboszlai once again showed his impact.<\/p>\n<p>The Hungarian midfielder continued his excellent form by adding another goal against Brighton \u2014 his sixth direct goal involvement in as many matches, highlighting his rising influence.<\/p>\n<p>With 10 goals this season \u2014 his most productive return in a Liverpool shirt \u2014 alongside seven assists in all competitions, inevitable comparisons have been made with club legend Steven Gerrard.<\/p>\n<p>However, Szoboszlai has no interest in being measured against one of Anfield\u2019s greatest-ever players.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking after the match, he acknowledged Gerrard\u2019s iconic status but made clear that his focus is on forging his own path rather than emulating anyone else. While accepting he won\u2019t score every week, he remains determined to keep contributing consistently as the campaign unfolds.<\/p>\n<p>Encouraging Signs for the Season Ahead<\/p>\n<p>Despite earlier setbacks, Liverpool appear to be rediscovering their rhythm at a pivotal moment.<\/p>\n<p>Progress in the FA Cup and strong prospects in the Champions League give Slot\u2019s side real hope of ending the season with silverware.<\/p>\n<p>If Jones continues to embrace added responsibility and Szoboszlai sustains his impressive run, what once looked like a turbulent campaign could still finish on a high.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Momentum is gradually building again at Anfield. Following a challenging and inconsistent spell, Liverpool FC produced an emphatic 3-0 win over Brighton &amp; Hove Albion to book their place in the next round of the FA Cup \u2014 and belief is starting to return among supporters. Goals from Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":58577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-7-1-1200x722-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=58764"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58764\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58765,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58764\/revisions\/58765"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/58577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=58764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=58764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=58764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}