Having started just one Premier League fixture between August and April, Curtis Jones knew he had to regain the trust of Jurgen Klopp at Chelsea nine games ago.
The Liverpool midfielder admitted as much after the goalless draw at Stamford Bridge, indicating that a subdued, sensible performance was simply about building confidence and proving that he could be a reliable option going forward.
With the Reds having won just two of the previous seven games, and fresh from a 4-1 humbling at Manchester City a few days earlier, Jones's chance arrived largely from the manager making as many as six changes on the night, perhaps in an effort to send a message to some of his underperforming big names at the time.
