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Liverpool boss Arne Slot finds himself casting around for solutions. For the first time, he has lost three games on the spin, and it comes at a time when he is trying to work out how to get the best from a host of new signings.
It seems that every game comes with a tactical tweak and a raft of substitutions. Slot has always been prone to tinkering, but the start of this campaign has definitely been marked by a sense that everyone is still trying to feel out the best combinations.
Even the expensively acquired Florian Wirtz has found himself out of a handful of starting lineups, while Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are currently rotating in the number nine position. Dominik Szoboszlai has found himself as an unlikely candidate at right-back, a position he shares with Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong.
In short, it's all a bit scrappy, and the best team is yet to emerge. But one player who is quietly making a case is Curtis Jones.
While Jones is one of just 12 players whom Slot has used in at least nine matches this season, his minutes tell a different story. The midfielder is rarely deployed from the outset, making just one Premier League start to date.
Szoboszlai, Wirtz, Ryan Gravenberch, and even Alexis Mac Allister have all amassed more minutes across all competitions. That the Argentine has played more is especially striking, given that he seems to be struggling to get up to speed.
The same could not be said of Jones, who has been quietly impressive on the occasions where he has been called upon. A video of his season highlights so far recently gained some traction on Reddit.
Across nearly three minutes, the collection of clips shows Jones driving Liverpool forward, either with his incisive passing or direct running. It is notable that these qualities encapsulate a lot of what it feels like Slot has been lacking.
Of course, highlights skate over a lot of less impressive moments by their very definition. Jones can be too ponderous, and he does not always get his head up quickly enough.
But fans in the Reddit thread are convinced that he has done enough to be starting. While the original poster framed his view that Jones should be starting over Mac Allister as an "unpopular opinion", he garnered a lot of support.
"Deserves more starts consider[ing] Alexis's recent form", reads the most upvoted comment. "Also should have scored against Chelsea."
"His biggest criticism of holding onto the ball too long over the years might actually be a strength when were [sic] so poor holding onto the ball recently," remarked another popular reply. "Might be a good idea to start him over Alexis until form picks up."
It's an interesting idea, and one to which Slot should surely give some consideration. While it's a bit of a stretch to spin taking too long on the ball as a positive, it's true that Jones helps bring control and ball retention to the side, while still offering more than just "safety" passes.
It's possible that with Jones threading things together in the middle, Slot might be able to connect his defense and attack a little more. So many of the problems for Wirtz and Isak stem from isolation, with Liverpool really struggling to move from back to front with the ball.
The scarcity in this department is exactly why Adam Wharton is so coveted. But for the time being, Jones could be an interesting solution from within.
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