Curtis Jones Absent as Liverpool Faces Como Again
Curtis Jones was nowhere to be seen. On a day when Liverpool met Como for the second time, this time in front of fans, the midfielder’s absence spoke almost louder than the football itself.
The 25-year-old was left out of Andoni Iraola’s squad for the friendly, a decision that lands right in the middle of growing noise from Italy about Inter’s interest. Earlier on Sunday, the same sides had played out a goalless draw behind closed doors at the AXA Training Centre. Jones did not feature in that one either.
Liverpool briefed, via Tuttomercatoweb, that Jones is set to complete individual work instead, with the club pointing to a minor hip problem that already kept him out of last week’s friendly against Monaco. Officially, it is fitness. Unofficially, the timing is impossible to ignore.
With the summer window entering its final stretch, every team sheet tells a story. Inter have been monitoring Jones as they weigh up midfield options, and his continued omission only sharpens the focus on his situation. There is no confirmation from Liverpool that the decision is linked to a potential transfer, but the pattern is now clear: two friendlies in quick succession, no minutes, no place in the squad.
While speculation swirled around Jones, the football went on.
Fabregas starts Chalobah as Liverpool mix it up
On the opposite bench, Cesc Fabregas made a notable call of his own. The Como boss handed Trevoh Chalobah a starting role, offering the defender a prominent platform as the Italian side tuned up for their campaign. Nico Paz, Maxence Caqueret and Alvaro Morata had to settle for places among the substitutes.
Liverpool, under new coach Iraola, named a side that blended star power with experimentation:
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Isak, Gakpo, Frimpong, Gravenberch, Ngumoha.
Substitutes: Davies, Munoz, Araujo, Nyoni, Koumas, Ndiaye, Wright.
Coach: Iraola.
Como XI: Butez; Bruno, Milla, Douvikas, Ramon, Couto, J. Rodriguez, Baturina, Chalobah, Liberali, Da Cunha.
Substitutes: Kempf, Valle, Goldaniga, Morata, Caqueret, Gabrielloni, Nico Paz, Audero, Dossena, Lahdo, Kuhn, Tronqvist, Vigorito, Perrone, Fadera, Smolcic, Asfour, Rispoli, Diao, Van Der Brempt, Azon.
Coach: Cesc Fabregas.
Alisson and Virgil van Dijk brought heavyweight authority to Liverpool’s lineup, while Jeremie Frimpong, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo added pace and craft around them. It was a side designed to test ideas and combinations, but it was also a side missing one of the club’s most intriguing midfield figures.
Jones stands at a crossroads: trusted enough to be linked with a club of Inter’s stature, yet currently sidelined and working alone as Liverpool reshape under a new manager. As the window ticks down, his name will not be leaving the rumour mill any time soon.
