Arne Slot believes Curtis Jones' upturn in form for Liverpool has coincided with the 23-year-old recently becoming a father for the first time.
Jones has played a starring role for the Reds in recent weeks, which has earned him a call-up by Lee Carsley for England’s upcoming Nations League fixtures this month.
The midfielder shone during Liverpool's 4-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League, notching a sublime assist for Luis Diaz's 61st minute opener.
Jones also created the joint-most chances (three) along with Ryan Gravenberch at Anfield, and is now pushing Dominik Szoboszlai for a starting spot in Liverpool's midfield.
"With Curtis he became a fighter and I had nothing to do with that. Since the moment he became a father [last month], he started putting great performances in," Slot said.
"He already did in the first few weeks of pre-season and I thought he was a quality player.
"His performances dropped a bit but from the moment he became a father he has been outstanding again.
"It might have a bit to do with that, but I think it is more to do with how the team plays. As a result of that, individual performances are good as well."
Jones has started four of the Reds' last six games in all competitions, notching four goal contributions (one goal, three assists) in those games.
But the midfielder has had to bide his time under Slot, with the Liverpool boss challenging Jones to add consistency to his game in the coming weeks.
"He has a lot of qualities on the ball, when he has it he's never afraid to do something special. Sometimes he is a bit too over-confident but confidence is important," Slot added.
"He also has an incredibly high work-rate and we can trust him defensively. You saw how he performed against Cole Palmer.
"If he wants to continue progressing he has to show every three days these performances."
Liverpool's fine start to the season continued with their midweek thrashing of Leverkusen, and they are now top of the Premier League and Champions League tables.
The Reds' victory over Brighton in the league saw Slot become just the fifth manager to win as many as eight of his first 10 Premier League games in charge, after John Gregory (1998), Guus Hiddink (2009), Carlo Ancelotti (2009) and Ange Postecoglou (2023).
Of the previous four, only Postecoglou failed to win his 11th match in the competition, though Slot faces a stern test this weekend when Aston Villa visit Merseyside.
The Dutchman, however, insisted that his side's flying start to the season had not come as a surprise.
"I don't think surprise is the right word to use because I knew the quality of our team. But quality is one thing and consistency is another," Slot concluded.
"I am not surprised because I saw the energy my players put in on a daily basis.
"Sometimes a bit of luck comes with us as well. Most of our results were deserved, but some have been a close call.
"In general, I'm not surprised because of the quality that was in the team and when I started working with them, I saw how much effort they put in to get these results."
'I'm still trying to crack the code' - Dyche working 'tirelessly' to address Everton form
Sean Dyche says he is working "tirelessly" to "crack the code" as he aims to turn Everton's fortunes around.
The Toffees sit just two points above the Premier League relegation zone, having only won two matches this season and gone five without victory.
Everton have also failed to score in their four most recent outings, and will be desperate to put things right against fellow strugglers Wolves on Wednesday.
And Dyche, whose contract expires at the end of this term, says he is working harder than he ever has before during his 13-year managerial career to get his side back on track.
"Sometimes me, my staff and the players haven't delivered as well as we could do," he said.
"But we work tirelessly. This is the most work I've done in all my years in management, at this club, without a shadow of a doubt.
"I'm more than ready for the challenge. It could be easier because, for sure, I've made errors this season, the team has made errors, they are there for all to see.
"It's a fact of life as a manager, you have to get the margins right, and we haven't done so far this season. You've got to win games, and we haven't won enough games.
"We've got ourselves in a position where we feel we should be doing better - myself included - and now it is about taking on the challenge. I'm still trying to crack the code, as others have done before me."
Defending champions All Saints United beat Garden Stars 3-1 in early top of the table clash in ABFA Premier League
Saturday’s triple header in the Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) Premier League provided fans with an entertaining day of football with a total of 13 goals produced in the three games at the ABFA Technical Center.
The evening’s featured game saw defending champions All Saints United FC have to come from behind to hand Garden Stars their first defeat of the season with a 3-1 victory.
National striker Raheem Deterville gave All Saints an early lead in the 8th minute before Karique Knight equalised for Garden Stars eight minutes later.
Vashami Allen restored United’s lead in the 21st minute before Deterville secured his brace and the victory with a goal five minutes from full time.
With the win, All Saints United moved to the top of the table with 16 points from six games, the same amount of points as Aston Villa and Garden Stars who trail on goal difference by one and nine, respectively.
Green City FC emerged victorious in a five-goal thriller against Greenbay Hoppers FC, winning 3-2.
Kamali Looby gave Hoppers the lead in the 33rd minute before Carllon Warner equalised for Green City just before halftime.
However, six minutes into the second half, Kadeem Campbell restored Hoppers’ lead.
Green City did not fold, however, equalizing through Amali Colbourne in the 61st minuteto put the game back into a deadlock.
The Green City persistence paid off in the end as Elijah Whyte converted a 68th minute penalty to secure the three points.
The third matchup saw Pigotts Bullets SC pepper John Hughes FC, securing a comprehensive 4-0 victory.
An unfortunate own goal from Jamoy Stevens (33′) opened the scoring, followed by Akeem Isaac’s penalty three minutes later.
Goals from Xavier Smith (42′) and Tyrique Thwaites (45+2′ penalty) completed the rout before halftime as the victors continued their impressive season.
Arteta already sees Amorim influence on Man Utd
Mikel Arteta feels Ruben Amorim's influence is already visible in Manchester United's play, ahead of Arsenal facing the Red Devils in a huge matchup on Wednesday.
United have one win and one draw from two Premier League matches under the former Sporting CP coach, drawing 1-1 at Ipswich Town before crushing Everton 4-0.
On Wednesday, the United boss will face his toughest test yet as United visit the Emirates Stadium, where they have lost on seven of their last nine Premier League visits (one win, one draw), losing on their last three.
Last Sunday's comprehensive victory over Everton was the biggest ever managed by a permanent United boss in their first home league match at the helm.
They registered 59.9% possession, 630 total passes and three big chances in that match, with all of those figures bettering their per-game averages under former boss Erik ten Hag this term (52.2% possession, 494 passes and 2.9 big chances).
Arteta has been impressed by the swift nature of Amorim's impact, saying at Tuesday's pre-match press conference: "You can see his fingerprints already in how he wants to play.
"You know what he wants to do straight away, I think he's been very clear. He's been very successful with Sporting.
"It's remarkable after so many years what he achieved there, especially in the way he did it and the way his teams have been playing.
"He brings energy to the club, to the players, new ideas and that's always something that's positive.
"We focus on ourselves. We're on a good run and have good momentum. It will be a big and beautiful match against United."
Arsenal are currently trailing pacesetters Liverpool by nine points at the Premier League summit, with United six points further back in ninth place.
However, Arteta still thinks plenty of teams could catch Arne Slot's Reds – including United.
"We're still very early in the season. Any team that has the capacity to put wins in a row has a chance," the Spaniard said. "I think anything is possible."
Arsenal thrashed West Ham 5-2 last time out, with Bukayo Saka scoring a penalty and laying on two assists.
Saka has now provided 10 assists in Arsenal’s 13 Premier League games this season – only Harry Kane (11 in 2020-21), Cesc Fabregas (12 in 2014-15) and Mesut Ozil (12 in 2015-16) have reached double figures fewer games into a team's Premier League campaign.
Arteta feels the England international has made a visible step up this season, saying: "In terms of the numbers, yes.
"We see a shift from Bukayo every single year. He's more and more consistent. He can only improve and only get better. He wants more."
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