Honest Curtis Jones verdict emerges after Inter vs Udinese thriller as John Stones suffers major blow
Italian media and Serie A fans have made their feelings clear about summer signings Curtis Jones and John Stones after Cristian Chivu’s side were involved in a thriller against Udinese at San Siro on Monday (September 14).
The away side took a shock lead through James Abankwah after nine minutes before doubling their advantage through Jürgen Ekkelenkamp seven minutes later. However, it didn’t take long for the Serie A champions to find their groove, as Carlos Augusto pulled one back in the 26th minute.
Nine minutes later, Nicolò Barella equalised before second-half strikes from Marcus Thuram, Pio Esposito and Ange-Yoan Bonny put Inter 5-2 ahead.
Udinese did manage to make the scoreline more respectable when Idrissa Gueye made it 5-3 in second-half stoppage time.
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The Nerazzurri maintained their perfect start to the season, having won all four of their Italian top-flight matches so far.
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Of the three English players Inter signed over the summer, John Stones was the only one named in Chivu’s starting XI. The former Manchester City defender played until the 62nd minute, when he appeared to pull up and signal to the bench that he needed to come off.
After the match, Chivu told DAZN Italia that Stones “felt something in his flexor”.
Former Spurs right-back Djed Spence remains sidelined with injury, while Jones gave a good account of himself during a 30-minute substitute appearance in the second half of the clash.
The former Liverpool midfielder was given a performance rating of 6 by Sky Italia and was widely praised by both fans and journalists on social media. Jones also received a 6/10 rating from Italian outlet Calciomercato.it, while Stones received a 5.5 for his efforts.
L’Interista also gave Stones a rating of 5, stating: “He was in trouble. He didn’t mark anyone for the first goal, leaving Akanji with two men, and lost all of his duels with Davies. It was already known that the injury issue would be key to the Englishman’s season.”
The outlet gave Jones a rating of 6.5, explaining: “He brings everything that was missing with Mkhitaryan: dynamism and quality.”
Polish international Piotr Zieliński also gave his teammate a positive verdict. The 32-year-old said: “We showed strength and quality. We went two goals down but didn’t lose confidence. As time went on, we saw a great Inter, a crazy Inter, but we need to give less away defensively. Jones? He’s a fantastic player. You can see his quality when he touches the ball. He started the move for Pio’s goal. He’s a guy with a lot of quality and pace, and he brings a lot of intensity and pace. You can see it in training. Everyone who has arrived is showing quality.”
Serie A fans issue their verdict on Curtis Jones after Inter beat Udinese
Fans and members of the media also offered their thoughts on Jones via social media.
One said: “I really like Curtis Jones. He’s a breath of fresh air in midfield.”
Another added: “Curtis Jones has quietly made a good impact so far at Inter Milan. He just gets such a good grip on the game. He came on tonight and Inter Milan were instantly better in midfield, which freed up Piotr Zieliński to really take control of the game with his passing range.”
A third claimed: “He entered the game and helped bring composure to the midfield in possession, while giving the team a sense of direction. He was able to link up with the attackers. These qualities are going to help the team so much. What a player you are, Curtis Jones.”
Inter return to action away at league leaders AS Roma on Saturday (September 19).
Topics: Curtis Jones, John Stones, Serie A, Inter Milan
Luke Davies