Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones has admitted Friday night’s trip to Aston Villa will be “a hard game”, but says he still trusts the squad to “get it over the line” in the race for Champions League qualification.
With Arne Slot’s side level on points with Villa heading into the clash, the academy graduate delivered a calm but determined message ahead of one of Liverpool’s biggest matches of the season.
Jones spoke ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Villa Park with the Reds knowing victory would confirm a top-five finish and secure Champions League football next season.
The midfielder acknowledged the scale of the task awaiting Slot’s side against an Aston Villa team that have matched Liverpool’s points tally deep into the campaign.
The timing of the interview matters because Liverpool arrive under real pressure. The club’s away form has repeatedly damaged their season, and Slot himself admitted earlier this week that too many dropped points on the road are the reason Liverpool are still fighting for qualification rather than already being secure.
Against that backdrop, Jones message was clearly designed to reinforce belief inside the squad rather than dwell on frustration.
On the players wanting a strong performance at Villa to put a ‘frustrating’ few games behind them…
“Absolutely, yeah. It’s been like that for the whole of the year. There’s been games when we’ve all thought it was going to be the turning point and then the following game we go and lose. There’s an important game that’s coming up and three points would be perfect.” Jones said
Like for most of the Liverpool squad, this season hasn’t gone as planned for Jones who had hoped to cement his place in the team.
Instead, he is finishing the campaign playing at right-back due to the absence of Conor Bradley and Jeremy Frimpong’s role filling in for Mohamed Salah on the right wing.
“I just enjoy playing. If I’m as a right-back, if I’m a centre-back, or if I’m a striker, I just want to go and play. I am fortunate enough to have a quality that I’m comfortable on the ball and I’m confident in my own abilities. I’m not shy where I have to go and play. I want to be in centre-midfield, and I know that I’m good enough and I ‘should’ be playing there, but it’s all about the team and that’s what you have to put first.”
“Although I’m a full-back now at the minute, I’m playing inside as well, so I’m still getting a chance to get in the box and a chance to go and score and assist and things like that. I wouldn’t say that I’m a defender. I’m a full-back/centre-midfielder, you can say. I just enjoy playing.
“I’m a lad that any time I get a chance to have a ball at my feet, my eyes just light up. I just end up with a smile on my face. That’s what I want to go and do, especially in a team like this and a club like this. As I’ve said already, if I have to go and play off the wing, or as a striker, or as a centre-half, wherever it is, I’m fine.” he told Liverpoolfc.com.”
Jones has become one of the players expected to carry leadership responsibility in difficult moments despite still only being 25. Having come through Liverpool’s academy and experienced both trophy-winning seasons and difficult periods, he understands the emotional weight around nights like this one.
“It’s important that we don’t get caught up in the atmosphere. They’re going to come out and they’re going to have all the energy but we just have to go and play our game. We have to stay calm. Again, as I said, we have to play our game. If I look around and see the lads in our team and the ability there, I’ve got all the trust in the lads and myself as well to get it over the line.”
“I think that the important thing is that we come away with a win. If that’s a game that we’ve got all the ball and it’s a perfect game, or it could be a game where we go and score one and then we’re sat back, at the end of the day I think, especially now, that the important thing is that we come away with the win. I know that and the manager knows that and the lads do as well, so that’s the important thing.”
His comments reflected that balance between caution and confidence.
The squad know there is still frustration around how the season has unfolded, particularly after failing to maintain consistency away from Anfield, but there is also a sense that the campaign can still finish with something important secured.
Liverpool’s players have increasingly spoken about mentality over recent weeks rather than tactics or style. That shift says a lot about where the team currently are psychologically. They know performances have not always matched expectations, but qualification for the Champions League would still significantly change the way the season is viewed internally and externally.
Jones’ words also matter because he is seen by supporters as one of the more emotionally connected figures inside the dressing room. When academy graduates speak publicly, their comments often resonate differently with fans. There is usually a feeling they genuinely understand the pressure surrounding the club because they grew up around it rather than arriving later in their careers.
The bigger picture
Liverpool do have reasons to believe they can get the result they need. The club have scored at least twice in 10 of their last 11 Premier League away games against Aston Villa, while Mohamed Salah’s expected return gives Slot another huge boost heading into the contest. (liverpoolfc.com)
But Villa Park has become one of the hardest away grounds in the league under Unai Emery, and Liverpool’s own away record this season remains difficult to ignore.
Liverpool’s away league record this season
Stat Record
Away league wins 7
Away defeats 8
Position before Villa game Top-five race
Stakes Champions League qualification
Jones himself has experienced both sides of Liverpool’s inconsistency this season. There have been matches where the Reds looked capable of competing with anyone, followed quickly by performances where control disappeared entirely. That unpredictability is why this Villa game carries such weight.
The midfielder’s interview therefore felt less about making bold claims and more about reminding supporters and teammates that the squad still believe they can deliver when it matters most.
What happens next
Liverpool will head to Villa Park knowing the equation is simple. Win, and Champions League qualification is secured. Fail to do so, and pressure rolls into the final weekend of the season with questions once again intensifying around consistency, recruitment and the direction of Slot’s first campaign.
Jones’ comments will not change the tactical side of the game, but they do offer insight into the dressing-room mentality before one of the biggest nights of Liverpool’s season. The message is clear: the players know the stakes, they know the criticism, but they still back themselves to finish the job.
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Curtis Jones’ interview felt honest rather than overly polished, and that probably makes it more effective. Liverpool supporters already know Aston Villa away will be difficult, so pretending otherwise would have sounded empty. Instead, Jones acknowledged the challenge while still projecting belief.
That balance mirrors where Liverpool are right now as a team — flawed, inconsistent, but still capable of ending the season on a positive note. If they do qualify for the Champions League, these final-week messages about trust, mentality and unity will suddenly look much more important in hindsight.