3 things we learnt about Jorginho against Newcastle

3. He can play in a double pivot

All season, Partey has acted as a lone six, with Xhaka and Odegaard playing as number eights higher up the pitch. Yesterday was the first time we’ve seen Arteta change to adapt to the opposition, and it worked perfectly, with Xhaka dropping deeper into a double pivot and Odegaard taking up more of a traditional 10 role.

With Oleksandr Zinchenko inverting, Arsenal had a lot of control in that area, which allowed Odegaard room to create in a more advanced position without the base on the midfield being exposed.

When Zinchenko went off, Odegaard dropped deeper to keep that discipline and control in the midfield, and that continued when Partey came on for the last ten minutes.

The performance showed that Arsenal can adapt, and should have done it against City when Partey was overrun in midfield. But, Arteta is learning about his side more than ever, and with Jorginho in the squad, he now has an option he knows he can trust in the toughest of environments.

With Brighton up next, Jorginho will be expected to keep his place with Partey starting on the bench. However, it highlights what a good job Edu did to pivot to him in January, and to get him for such a low fee.