Outspoken Italian pundit and former player Antonio Cassano has delivered a surprising assessment of Jorginho while discussing the impact of Roberto Mancini on the Italian national team.
Jorginho played a pivotal role for the Azzurri during their victorious Euro 2020 campaign in the summer of 2021, and he also played a crucial role in Chelsea’s Champions League triumph that same year. His outstanding performances had positioned him as one of the favourites for the Ballon d’Or, a recognition well-deserved considering his exceptional contributions at both club and international levels.
However, while praising Roberto Mancini for orchestrating Italy’s European Championship victory despite having a relatively unknown squad, Cassano made the stunning remark that Jorginho “does not know how to kick a ball.” This comment has certainly raised eyebrows, as Jorginho’s skills and contributions on the pitch have been widely acknowledged by fans and experts alike.
The ex-Real Madrid star said, as quoted by Sport Witness:
“Mancini performed a miracle. Before him we were mediocre but then he made many players believe they were stronger than everyone else.
“At a certain point in Italy there was talk of Jorginho as the Ballon d’Or winner. Do you realise? A footballer who struggles to kick and assist, without running or physique.
“He doesn’t play at Arsenal because they signed Rice. It’s not like they have Xavi and Iniesta. In Italy we made him a champion.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Jorginho is the type of player that fans struggle to see his impact on the pitch, but his managers know how important he is.
The midfielder has struggled to play recently, but there is a reason Mikel Arteta did not push for him to leave the Emirates in the summer and it is a good one.
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That Italy team was built around jorginho in the way the previous one was built around pirlo, and they won something significant. He’s never been as good as pirlo was, but jorginho was an excellent player, and still is to a large extent. Due to his lack of pace and physical strength, he needs the right teammates around him, but so what?
In my opinion Jorginho is like a specialist in the team that will only be use for a particular purpose.
His technically and experience is of such that he maybe sparingly brought in at time for a special operation.
He will definitely see more action in this campaign as the games come thick and fast