Curtis Jones came back into the Liverpool squad right as they started winning again, and honestly, it doesn’t feel like a fluke. He’s been playing with real confidence. Just look at that Champions League match against Inter Milan at the San Siro earlier this month—Jones was their best player that night, and that was only his second start in a run that’s now hit five in a row. Since then, he’s been a big part of four straight wins.

Sure, he probably got a little lucky with injuries to Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, plus Dominik Szoboszlai’s suspension. Those guys are all back now, though, and with almost every midfielder available except Wataru Endo (who doesn’t play much anyway), the real test for Jones is whether he can keep this up.

Arne Slot, the head coach, is clearly happy with what Jones brings. He said, “What I like about him is he always wants the ball, no matter what’s going on. Most of the time, that’s a huge plus.

“Sometimes, yeah, it’s better to back off and not force it. But if he gets into trouble, he usually finds a way out and picks the right path.

“The best thing for him lately is how he’s been able to stay fit, play four or five full games in a row, and finish them strong.”

Jones isn’t the only one stepping up. Wirtz has just scored his first Premier League goal and picked up an assist in his last two games. Szoboszlai is back, and he’s been the standout player this season. Hugo Ekitike has found his scoring touch, too—more goals in his last four league games than in the thirteen before that. After losing nine out of twelve earlier, there’s finally a sense that Liverpool is turning the corner.

Slot’s hoping they keep moving forward in 2026, even though they’re missing Alexander Isak, who’s out for months after surgery for an ankle and leg injury, and Giovanni Leoni, who’s done for the season with an ACL tear.

“If you bring in a bunch of new players and lose some old ones, it usually takes time for things to click,” Slot said before facing Leeds. “But the more these guys play and train together, the better they get.

“When you add new faces, you expect improvement. Swap out players, and you have to give it some time, but it pays off eventually.

“Unfortunately, we won’t see Leoni again this season, and it’ll be a while before Alex is back on the pitch.”

Liverpool's going to try to buy some players in January, but AC Milan's thinking about nabbing a player that Arne Slot still needs.

I bet Arne Slot thought managing Liverpool would be a snap, but that quick Premier League win turned into a proper nightmare.

It looks like the Reds boss has finally worked out the right tactics and players. Results are getting better, and the league table's not looking as bad as it did a month or two ago. The guy's got to be hoping everyone stays fit and that January goes well so the team can get back in the title race, especially with that big game against Arsenal coming up fast.

AC Milan still wants Joe Gomez

The last thing he wants is a repeat of all those injuries and the constant team changes that messed things up at the start of the season. Plus, they've got to decide what to do with those players who almost left over the summer. One of them is Joe Gomez, who was close to joining AC Milan—that would've been huge for Liverpool since he's been there the longest. According to Lewis Steele at The Daily Mail, they'd only consider selling him if, given how few choices Slot has, it would be dumb to let any first-team players go in January.

Gomez had teams in Italy interested in him during the last week of the summer, and AC Milan is still keen, but he can't leave unless they sign someone to replace him. Slot might trust other players to fill in, but he really needs centre-halves who can play every week. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are trusted, no matter how they're playing. Also, not having Giovanni Leoni available is a bummer since the young defender looked very good in his first game.

How close was Gomez to leaving Liverpool?

It was the same kind of story in the summer, as Gomez was hurt by Crystal Palace not being able to sign a replacement for Marc Guehi. Talking to Liverpool World in the summer, Sky Sports transfer journalist and Italian football expert Luca Bendoni explained just how close the versatile defender came to leaving Anfield.

Milan had a full deal ready for Joe Gomez, Bendoni said. Everything was set to go; the player was supposed to fly, and the flight was booked. They needed his decision by about 1 p.m. because they wanted to do his medical checks, so they (Milan) needed the go-ahead in time. The go-ahead could only happen if Liverpool signed (Marc) Guehi, but it had to be before 1 p.m. because they had to fly him (Gomez) to Italy. They ran out of time.

Letting Jarrel Quansah leave without signing Guehi was a mistake, but it feels like Gomez has suffered because of it since there aren't many other options. Liverpool needs to get their act together in January and actually buy some players, not just keep the ones they have because they need the bodies.