The key to solving Liverpool's midfield struggles is OBVIOUS

Liverpool's midfield has been stretched this year, and a lack of balance has cost the team at times.

Accommodating newcomer Florian Wirtz has been the initial major challenge, and Arne Slot's recent attempt to involve the German in the side has resulted in him being deployed as a hybrid left-winger.

Furthermore, the performance levels from Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch have meant that only one space has been left open. In an ideal world, you'd see Alexis Mac Allister taking it up.

However, it should be no coincidence that Liverpool's disappointing form - seven losses in the last 10 matches - has come with the Argentinian feeling out of sorts on the pitch. He needs to be replaced.

There arguably couldn't be a candidate for the position available, if Slot decides to give him a chance.

Jones is officially UNDERRATED

Curtis Jones has been a mainstay in the Reds' squad for the last five six seasons, after getting called-up from the academy into the senior side in 2020, he's the only remaining 'Scouser in our team'.

At times, he's been used as a defensive midfielder, as well as an occasional No. 10, although we all know that he's best suited to being an adaptable central midfielder - in this case partnering someone in a deep-lying double-pivot, with the freedom to roam into different areas where he's needed.

According to The Athletic, he's currently playing the most progressive passes per 90 minutes with 12.6 compared to last season's 6.2, alongside Szoboszlai's 7.8 and Wirtz's 6.2. In fact, when we look at the Premier League as a whole (per DataMB), Jones' forward pass numbers and completion percentage makes him an enormous statistical outlier, although his sample size is likely to be small.

Mac Allister's numbers for progressive passes are so much lower than his teammates' that it's difficult to justify his place in the team, especially when a player of Jones' form is on the bench.

The Englishman has been dealing with a couple of injury concerns this season, so his workload needs to be taken into consideration when Slot is looking to put out his best team in matches but we're putting ourselves at a disadvantage by overlooking him when he's at full fitness.

Slot's midfield trio has either been so deep in our own half when defending, making it really difficult to get the ball to the attackers, or so high in the aggressive press that opposition teams have been able to bypass them with a simple ball over the top. A much better balance needs to be struck.

If Liverpool hope to bring stability back to the side, Jones needs to feature a lot more often.

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