Liverpool FC News: Arne Slot uncovers NEW Martin Zubimendi
Ever since Ryan Gravenberch took on the responsibility of becoming the team's No. 6, it has been difficult to find anyone in the squad who can deliver a similar kind of performance as him.
The Dutchman truly is a one off and Liverpool fans now know more than ever how important he is.
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As last season started to wind down, the team's efforts slowly declined, which was inherently linked in part to Gravenberch's fitness issues, alongside the Premier League title nearing ever closer.
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Wataru Endo and Alexis Mac Allister have attempted to play as the team's deepest-lying midfielder before and neither have been as successful as Gravenberch, although in Sunday's Community Shield loss, we got a glimpse of someone who delivered our best effort yet at covering the Dutchman.
Jones as the Zubimendi replacement?
Before the Spaniard joined Arsenal this summer, Martin Zubimendi was a highly-regarded figure on Merseyside and we all hoped he'd become our defensive midfielder, before we looked internally.
Of course, that didn't work out and fortunately Gravenberch was able to step up to the plate, although no one could do what he could do - we still needed a Zubimendi-type player in the team.
As mentioned, many have tried and failed to meet the heights of the Gravenberch, although in the loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon, Curtis Jones came pretty close with his latest effort.
In a 71 minute performance, he completed all 58 of his passes, made three accurate long-balls (100%), won three of his six duels and made an interception. It was an all-round masterclass.
Gravenberch was absent from the game completely due to his partner giving birth on Saturday evening and on Friday night's Premier League opener, he will also be absent, serving a suspension.
As such, for Jones to step up to the plate in such fashion is incredibly useful, and something to consider throughout the season while Arne Slot continues to fine-tune his midfield balance.
In the double-pivot alongside Jones was Dominik Szoboszlai as supposed to Mac Allister, which made for some fascinating tactical viewing, watching the technicians get to grips with their roles.
This change was predominantly because we're still technically in pre-season and also because Florian Wirtz has taken command of the No. 10 role, where Szoboszlai used to be deployed.
Despite the loss, the midfield did not seem to get overrun, merely the forwards struggled to keep hold of the ball and the frenetic nature of the contest led to a high number of turnovers.
But there is plenty to be excited about, even though some of the concerns fans have about the squad are continuing to crop up every now and then. In Jones, at least one problem is temporarily sorted.
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Comments
I always said to people that Jones' game is best suited to playing deeper. But that doesn't mean he's good enough for us. Because he plays safe all the time, it allowed Palace to come onto us more. Try doing that against Gravenberch and he will cut you in half with his runs. Zubimendi is far better than Jones as a deep lying midfielder. Its unfair to compare. Jones may not have misplaced any passes but he was caught in possession twice, one of them resulting in Palace having a shot.
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