Steven Gerrard calls for FA and coaches ‘to be fined’ after England’s win over Greece

Steven Gerrard worked with Curtis Jones at Liverpool (Image: Yasser Bakhsh)

Following his outstanding Three Lions debut performance against Greece, former Liverpool and England great Steven Gerrard came up with a novel approach to compliment midfielder Curtis Jones.

Curtis Jones’ performance in England’s victory against Greece prompted Steven Gerrard to mockingly demand that the Football Association and England’s coaches be penalised.

The joke was made by the Liverpool great when Jones scored his first goal for the Three Lions in a match against Greece. With a spectacular performance, the 23-year-old secured a 3-0 victory by flicking Morgan Gibbs White’s cross behind him to earn his maiden England cap.

Under Arne Slot, Jones had a remarkable run of success at Anfield, which he carried across to the international scene. Gerrard oversaw the Anfield team’s under-18 team while coaching the Reds’ star.

After Jones’ outstanding performance, the Al-Ettifaq manager criticised the England team for taking too long to recognise his abilities. Gerrard wrote, “What a player,” on his Instagram story. “Fine the FA and all the coaches for being late.”

Lee Carsley, the interim manager, waxed poetic about Jones’ performance, but the praise did not stop there. Telling ITV, “Curtis Jones is an outstanding player,”

“Even without his goal, he performed incredibly well. It was a great performance with his goal. Last night, there was talk about the squad’s lack of experience, but these players are performing at a very high level for their clubs.”

Jones was just as complimentary of the latitude his England teammates gave him. The Anfield academy product emphasised how Jude Bellingham’s coverage gave him the chance to score.

“If you’ve got a team like ours, like that, I can go high, I can come low, I can get on the ball, I can play,” he said. “There are guys there to provide a hand, and there are guys who said I can go too. Jude [Bellingham] remained, so I saw that I had an opportunity to leave. I did that, and I was fortunate to score.

“The local boys also provided assistance. I simply went outside and played freely while grinning and having fun. I’m glad I also managed to score when I got back.”

Jones’ career has been inspired by Gerrard, who has helped the rising star develop the mindset necessary to succeed. “I say it now, still, I feel like Steven was the one who came in and made me really think, ‘Look, if I lock all the way in, now I can go to the top’,” Jones had previously stated.

I’ll never forget the moment when we returned from a preseason trip to a nation I’m not sure of, and he had a one-on-one meeting with the entire team to discuss what they had done well and what they needed to work on.

“I don’t want to reveal what he said when he first entered, but it was sweet, but it wasn’t pleasant. It wasn’t pleasant. It resembled the grim realities.

I’ll put it this way: “I wanted you to be my main guy on my team and I wanted to build the team around you, so I gave you the 10 shirt on your back, but you didn’t show enough.”

“He mentioned a game that really remained in my memory, and I wanted to demonstrate to him that I could do anything he asked of me. We had been defeated by Fulham, and he claimed that I had been tackled, and the man had approached and said something while I was on the ground.

“What did you do about it?” he asked me as he turned back to face me. He responded, “Well, I’ll tell you, you did nothing!” when I added, “I can’t remember.”

“You’re right,” I thought as I sat there. You have played for this club your entire life, returned to the academy, and now that you are a coach, you want to give it your best for the team. This is my club.

People like me—I’m a Scouser myself—do not comprehend the predicament I find myself in. I must become a man and grow up here.