Jones has regressed to that struggling, scrambling mess of a centerback.
I honestly believe he would be a nailed on starter we’d could build a defense around if it weren’t for the injuries. Ferguson got carried away, but we’ve all seen the talent. The truth is, he’s never had a chance to hit those heights and probably never will. Every time he gets somewhere he ends up injured and back behind the curve.
The final was a damning indictment of where he is. His positioning before the penalty incident gives him away. He was high and wide with space in behind. He doesn’t have that pessimism and anticipation needed to sniff out problems before they happen. Yes, it was kind of a fluke ball, but one he should have know was possible. If he had tucked in, Hazard would have had to have gone wider and run around him.
But then Jones had his hips wrong and forced himself to turn with Hazard. Had his hips been half turned (chest facing in) and being inside of Hazard, that would have been a foot race. Jones could have just about managed that. Instead he gave Hazard the chance to play to his strengths with no immediate cover available. How at this point in his career with such a known opponent with stakes so high could he not do the little things to set himself up for success? That’s a serious problem. At this level, at this club, a fatal one.
Jones is an athletic center back. Other than Bailly, we haven’t had a center back as athletic as him in a long, long time. The problem is between his ears. I’ve said this before, but he gets himself caught reacting too often. At this level that athleticism is just a wasted tool without top class anticipation and decision making.
He improves, but he ends up in the bench again. He’s had long enough. He’s a know entity. I’d unload Smalling well before I’d unload Jones, but Jones needs to be a dropped to a squad option and phased out.
I’ve been one of Jones’s biggest defenders. I don’t want to miss out on what he could be, but he’s not worth it anymore. He goes too far backwards after injury and has done too little improving his weaknesses. I’m done hoping he’ll ever become starter.