Reports surfaced on Friday that Jorginho was set to sign with Manchester City in the summer, but the two sides couldn’t agree to a deal. Instead, the former Napoli man came to Stamford Bridge with his former boss Maurizio Sarri from the Italian side.
Imagine if Jorginho joined Manchester City. A team that’s already world-class in all aspects would have added a versatile playmaker that could have definitely filled the void of Kevin De Bruyne, who is out for the foreseeable future with a knee injury.
Instead, Chelsea was lucky enough to get Jorginho. Maurizio Sarri was a huge factor that he decided to come to the Blues, considering he played under him last season with Napoli. It’s safe to say that Chelsea has definitely enjoyed the midfielders time at Stamford Bridge so far. He’s been a vital factor of their success to this point, helping them register the full 12 points through four matches.
An in-depth look at his importance
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Jorginho has been a mainstay in the middle of the pitch for Chelsea, playing the full 90 minutes in all four games in a Chelsea uniform thus far. The Brazilian born midfielder has been a passing machine this season, leading the entire Premier League with 384 passes completed. He makes very smart decisions, using short and compact passes rather than long, senseless balls.
When it comes to touches, Jorginho also leads the EPL. He has registered 465 touches this season. The next closest to him is Aymeric Laporte from Man City, who has 407. He is the orchestrator of the Chelsea midfield, distributing the ball to the flanks or through the middle up to his strikers. It’s pretty evident by the number of touches and passes he’s completed that he is very important to the Blues.
In Sarri’s 4-3-3 formation, Jorginho sits right in the middle and moves out towards the flanks depending on where the play is. One thing that’s been impressive with Chelsea this year under new management and with some new players is their short passing like I mentioned above. It’s not just Jorginho, it’s everyone that’s doing it. They are playing the triangles very well and moving the ball into the offensive half by making short passes and moving into space to receive the ball again.
Defensively, Jorginho marks his opponents very tight, giving them minimal space to work with. He isn’t the biggest guy, but he works very hard and doesn’t ever give up on a play. He gives 110 percent every time he’s on the field, which is the type of player that Chelsea needed.
Enjoying life under Sarri
Football in England is quite different than how they play in the Serie A where Jorginho came from, but he’s adapted very well. The 26-year old has looked extremely comfortable and he is definitely one of the most important signings that Chelsea made in the offseason.
The fact that Sarri managed Jorginho in Napoli is actually a huge benefit to Chelsea. He’s the main playmaker for the Blues, and Sarri’s style of play is getting the ball into the offensive half as quick as possible. They have quick players on the flanks in the midfield and up top with the likes of Willian, Eden Hazard, and Pedro. Jorginho has shown that he is very talented at spreading the ball all over. The fact that he knows exactly how Sarri wants to play really helps Chelsea as a whole.
In fact, Chelsea players make up half of the top ten in most touches in the Premier League. The style of play that their Italian manager has brought to London has been a huge boost to this club.
They are playing the game the right way, all led by Jorginho as their brilliant center midfielder. He may only have one goal, but his importance runs a lot deeper than just scoring goals.