It became somewhat lost in the tedious hullabaloo over Arsenal’s perceived over-celebrating but Mikel Arteta achieved something that very few managers do on Sunday: he comprehensively out-coached Jurgen Klopp.
Arteta’s gameplan worked to perfection with Gabriel Magalhaes’ clumsy own goal before half-time the only negative aspect from a dominant display over Liverpool that brought the Gunners within two points of the Premier League leaders.
The use of Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz as withdrawn forwards worked a treat, as did the selection of Jorginho alongside Declan Rice at the base of midfield. It was a surprising decision considering how little match action the Italy international has had in recent months.
Jorginho’s previous league start was in a 3-1 win over Burnley on 11 November and Arteta has used him almost exclusively as a late-game closer ever since, with three of his four subsequent appearances coming as an 89th-minute substitute to help Arsenal see out slender one-goal wins.
Declan Rice’s arrival from West Ham last summer was always going to impact Jorginho’s game-time, but here was evidence that the pair can work well in conjunction against elite opponents.
It is surely no coincidence that besides Burnley, Jorginho’s league starts this campaign have come against Manchester City, Chelsea (at Stamford Bridge and at a more promising point in their season), Newcastle and Liverpool.
It helped that Liverpool were missing the influential Dominik Szoboszlai, but Rice and Jorginho completely won their individual battles against Ryan Granberch and Curtis Jones.
With Odegaard and Havertz dropping deep to help out, Arsenal often had four players marking three in the middle of the pitch which helped them to control the pattern of the game.
Jorginho provided an assured presence on the ball and an astute reading of the game out of possession, completing the most passes and making the most interceptions of any player on the pitch. In a manic contest played in a feverish atmosphere and featuring two vibrant teams battling for the title, his composure stood out. At the age of 32, he was at least seven years older than any other midfielder on the pitch, and it showed.
After the game, he was asked by Sky Sports’ touchline reporter Patrick Davison whether he was pleased with the calmness he brought to the game, but before he could answer Rice interjected almost incredulously: “That’s what he does. That’s what he’s best at!”
Rice went on to talk about how excited he was at the prospect of playing alongside Jorginho before he had joined the club because of “how he controls games [and] how calm he is in the ball”.
He added: “I think he has qualities that not a lot of other midfielders have.
“Playing in the same position obviously he does things at such a high quality and I’m trying to learn. Over the years he’s been such a top player and the manager trusts him wholeheartedly.”
Arteta was equally effusive in his assessment of Jorginho’s work, saying: “He’s a really intelligent player. His biggest quality is that he makes the people around him better, he connects everybody. I think he was the man of the match.
“He is always the first one in and the last one out. For all the kids at the club, if you want to look at somebody, just look at him. He’s won everything but if you ask him not to play or to play one minute [like] last week he’s happy to go there. Ask him to play 90 minutes at that rhythm and he’s able to do that. I’m really lucky to have players like this.”
As valued as Jorginho clearly is his talents are required for specific fixtures and game states when Arsenal require a cool head and control in midfield. He has only started 14 of Arsenal’s last 42 Premier League games since joining from Chelsea, a club that could really benefit from his experience and expertise right now.
Only City and Brighton have averaged more possession than Arsenal this season and their general dominance of the ball means they don’t often need to have two holding midfielders on the pitch at the same time.
With Rice already established as Arsenal’s main man in midfield, Jorginho will likely find himself back on the bench soon.
He is a man for the right occasion, not every occasion and Arteta would rather have an extra creator than a disruptor in his midfield when Arsenal come up against low-block defences.
“They [Liverpool] are a team that don’t really allow you to put the fifth player in the frontline, the way they play,” he said on Sunday.
That doesn’t mean to say that Jorginho won’t be influential as the season progresses. With trips to the Etihad, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Old Trafford still to come, he looks set to have a big role to play during the run-in.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/6OsUnQh
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