3 things we learnt about Jorginho against Newcastle

When Arsenal missed out on Moises Caicedo and pivoted to Jorginho in January, the reaction was mixed, but since arriving he has put any doubts to bed with a string of impressive performances.

With Thomas Partey’s form dipping since the international break, the call to bring Jorginho into the team should have come earlier, as he has the experience, calmness and ability to galvanise a side in a crisis.

Against Chelsea, he looked at ease throughout, and yesterday’s performance against Newcastle was arguably his best in an Arsenal shirt to date as he was deservedly awarded the Man of the Match award by Sky.

3 things we learnt about Jorginho against Newcastle

1. He’s a leader and a coach on the pitch

Every time the game stopped, Jorginho went to the technical area to receive instructions from Mikel Arteta, just like we’ve seen Martin Odegaard do all season, which he quickly transmitted to his teammates.

Even when Jorginho played the pass that assisted Odegaard’s goal, he was shouting and directing. That summed up his performance. He was the one alongside Odegaard and Granit Xhaka leading the team and communicating with everyone at every opportunity.

That communication is a huge reason why he has been such a big loss for Chelsea, and it is something that Arsenal have benefitted hugely from, especially in the last two games with Jakob Kiwior coming into the team.

The young Polish defender has excelled at the back, but having Jorginho in front of him has created a huge presence and guide, as he has a director in the team who has kept him right throughout both games.

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