After comments from four years ago emerged, Arteta may have to make some adjustments to the way he actually utilizes Jorghino.
It is common knowledge that Mikel Arteta has had a lifelong fascination for the Italian midfielder Jorginho, and it is exciting to see that he will soon get the opportunity to collaborate with him.
During the 2018 season, when Arteta was working as an assistant coach for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the Arsenal manager was very interested in the possibility of Manchester City acquiring Jorginho from Napoli. However, the midfielder ended up signing with Premier League rivals Chelsea instead. After five years, a great deal has transpired since the drama surrounding the move.
To begin, Arteta is now a manager in his own right and has led the Gunners to the top of the Premier League table. They are currently five points ahead of their closest competitors, who also happen to be Arteta’s former team, City. Jorginho can now call himself a champion of both the Champions League and the European Championship.
Although the news was met with a mixed reaction from Arsenal fans, who had been holding out hope for a mega-money move for Brighton star Moises Caicedo, the two are finally reunited now that Arsenal has confirmed that Jorginho will be joining them on the final day of the transfer window from Chelsea.
However, they shouldn’t be too concerned because Arteta’s adoration for Jorginho should suggest that the Gunners boss has a flawless strategy on how to utilize the Brazilian-born technician who is now 31 years old. Having said that, it is possible that it will be somewhat different from the way in which he would have utilized him if he had been in possession of Jorginho in 2019 instead.
When questioned, Arteta provided the following explanation: “Our stance has shifted as a result. There are certain teams that like to have a single defensive midfielder on the field at all times. Not the city In other teams, that position is not as clearly defined, and we are moving away from the concept of having a player who can fill that role—the kind of player that I adore, like Jorginho or Sergio Busquets.”
Granit Xhaka has found a lot of success playing further forward as a ‘left eight,’ thanks to the tremendous improvements that Arsenal has made this season, enabling Thomas Partey the flexibility to operate alone in the traditional number six role at times this season.
However, despite the fact that the Gunners signed a midfielder with the intention of using them as back-up to Partey in the event that Arteta’s worst fears were realized and the Ghanaian suffered an injury, it is highly unlikely that Jorginho will play a role that is comparable to that of Arsenal’s number five.
The Italian lacks the kind of physical presence required to play as a lone six in Arteta’s current system, and as a result, Xhaka may be forced to reduce the amount of progressive runs he makes to ensure that Jorginho is not left exposed in transition. Arteta’s system is currently in its third iteration.