The other weekend, Arsenal were still reeling from their 4-1 loss to Manchester City. Arteta and his boys must have committed to winning their final five games. As you read, two of the five wins have already been secured: the victories over Chelsea, and Newcastle on Sunday night.
Many doubted them, but Arsenal glided through Newcastle United, winning 2-0 at St. James Park. The Gunners got their goals through Martin Odegaard and a Martin Schar own goal. Odegaard’s goal was assisted by Jorginho, a player whose £12 million transfer from Chelsea surprised many, with some questioning if it was a rational move.
But Jorginho’s acquisition seemed a masterstroke against the Magpies, as the Italian international put on a five-star performance to be crowned the Man of the Match. Arteta had benched him in the previous games, with the Spaniard trusting his reliable midfield engine, Thomas Partey. However, Partey has seen his form drop in recent weeks. In the London derby clash with Chelsea, Jorginho was given a chance to show he wasn’t at Arsenal to warm the bench; he dazzled against his former club.
On Sunday, against a robust Eddie Howe side, the Arsenal No 20 was once again preferred over Partey, and he impressed. He was the only player to register 68 touches; he was the player who had the most successful passes (42), the most passes received from the backline (27), the most possession won (8), and the most clearances (3).
So what’s been said about Jorginho’s performance against Newcastle?
About his performance, Mikel Arteta said, “I think he was man of the match. There were question marks because it was going to be really physical, but if you want to go physicality vs. physicality, we have no chance to win the game, so we had to try for something different.”
🗣 "He understood the game really well. He's a really intelligent player."
Mikel Arteta praises the performance of Jorginho, who also received the man of the match award pic.twitter.com/5hfvHQAKBZ
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 7, 2023
On his part, Gary Neville on Sky Sports said (as quoted by Metro), “He added so much leadership, experience, and composure. All day long, he’s been demonstrating to the rest of his teammates what he wants from them, and they’ve lacked that in recent weeks.
“He was the Player of the Match by a mile today.”
It will be interesting to see if Arteta continues to stick with him in midfield for the remaining must-win fixtures. But Jorginho has impressed; what a way to take your chances!
Daniel O
Mikel Arteta buzzing after Newcastle United 0-2 Arsenal – This game was all about pride..
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Am baffled as to why Jorginho haven’t been use more often.
Am beginning to think that just like Pep the gaffer too over think his game plans.
It was a captain-like performance, could be seen being vocal throughout, he was calm and he was almost always open to receiving the ball. Top performance