No member of Mikel Arteta's team talks more on the pitch than Jorginho. Photo: David Price/Getty Images
Only one thing can stop Jorginho talking on Saturday afternoon, and that was a set of thorns scraping the top of his head. There were 95 minutes on the clock when the Arsenal midfielder caught a stray boot, causing blood to run down his neck and a cut that meant he was unable to play the final few seconds of his side's win over Burnley.
Fortunately for Arsenal, they didn't need him in those final minutes. By this point, the hard work has already been done. But they really needed him earlier in the day when Jorginho helped them dominate Burnley. It is clear that the influence of the Brazilian-born Italian is growing in north London.
Jorginho didn't make the headlines on Sunday. He rarely does this. But the man with the captain's armband produced another controlled and impressive performance from central midfield. He doesn't need to score goals or provide assists to have a significant impact on matches, and it is increasingly clear that he is the man other Arsenal players turn to for advice.
No member of Mikel Arteta's squad speaks more than Jorginho, who is becoming Arsenal's master of the ball and the voice of their coach on the pitch during games. The 31-year-old spent Saturday afternoon directing his teammates, constantly shouting and pointing and often appearing to move them around the field like chess pieces.
“The way this guy competes, coaches and supports the team in every possible way, I am very happy with him,” said Arteta.
Jorginho was given the captain's armband in the absence of the injured Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus. Photo: Kin Chung/AP It's never easy for a player to swap Chelsea blue for Arsenal red, and Jorginho was hardly given the warmest welcome when he turned up at Emirates Stadium in January. It was a surprise move even for him, and many Arsenal fans were not thrilled with his arrival. Instead, they were hoping to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton.
Over time, however, these fans began to appreciate Jorginho's footballing intelligence and his obvious importance to Arteta. The fact that he is currently wearing the captain's armband, in the absence of the injured Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Jesus, is an indication of his seniority in the dressing room.
'The impact on the rest of the team is huge'< p>As Thomas Partey struggles with additional problems from Due to injury, Jorginho has now started seven of his last eight matches in all competitions. The quality of his performances in these games was so great that he earned a recall to the Italian national team.
“He's an incredible player, he's a leader, he's very smart and he has the qualities to make the team better,” Arteta said of Jorginho last week. After the midfielder's pass set up a goal against Sevilla in midweek, Arteta added: “It's great to have him. His influence on the rest of the team is enormous.»
Jorginho produced a typically subdued performance against Burnley. He was the only Arsenal starter not to have a goal in the game and will not feature prominently in the highlights recaps. But it was his movement and passing that allowed Arsenal to dominate, with Arteta's analysts pointing out that he completed all 22 of his 22 passes into the final third.
In a team of energetic and athletic 20-year-olds, Jorginho is a calm leader. At 31, he is the second-youngest player in Arteta's squad (behind Cedric Soares, who has played a total of three minutes all season) and a guiding light for the young stars. «He has so much experience and respect in the team,» Odegaard wrote in Saturday's match program.
Arsenal made huge offers for Mikhail Mudrik and then Caicedo in January. Both of these players ended up at Chelsea, with Arsenal instead signing Leandro Trossard and Jorginho for much lower prices (an initial £21 million and £10 million respectively).
Trossard is widely known as one of the smartest players. deals in recent windows (he scored another goal and provided an assist against Burnley) and his performance compares favorably with Mudryk's at Stamford Bridge. Jorginho receives less praise, but as he becomes increasingly important to Arsenal's title push both on and off the pitch, he too is starting to look like one of the club's smartest players.
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