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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2. The physical side isn’t an issue

The midfield battle was going to define the game yesterday, and in the end, it was Arsenal who dominated Newcastle and controlled the key periods of the game, with Odegaard, Jorginho and Xhaka winning the key duels and creating the better chances.

Newcastle have one of the most physical midfield trios in the league, with Joe Willock, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton all possessing huge running power. However, that didn’t phase Jorginho, who used his intelligence to outwit them on the ball while winning 6/11 ground duels.

With their midfield power, many had suggested reverting to Thomas Partey, who despite his drop in form, has the physicality to shrug off big players, and can cover the ground better than Jorginho, but Arteta went with the Italian, and he showed why he has thrived at Chelsea for almost five years.

That experience is something that Arteta and the fans need to trust. Jorginho isn’t a midfielder who will cover huge amounts of space or fly into tackles, but he is a clever technician who has come up against the very best and passed those tests, and at 31 he still has a lot left in the tank.

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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.