Arsenal are sitting at the top of the English Premier League table with a five-point lead and also have a match in hand. Mikel Arteta has a very young team at his disposal, and the players lack the experience of winning a championship or any other trophy. They were also short of one or two midfield options as well as attacking options. Gabriel Jesus’s injury meant that Arsenal were only left with Nketiah to lead the line. They signed Leandro Trossard to add a bit of experience and more goals to their tally.
Another area where the Gunners tried to improve was in the midfield. They were behind Youri Tielemans during the whole summer transfer window but couldn’t bring him to the Emirates. Mikel Arteta decided to bolster the team’s experience by bringing in Jorginho from rival Chelsea. Jorginho has established himself in the last few seasons in the English Premier League and is also a winner of some silverware, including the famous Euro 2020 title. This is his fifth season in England, and we now look at some of the stats of the player that shows how his experience can add an extra element to Arsenal’s quest for a Premier League title.
A midfield commander
Maurizio Sarri brought Jorginho from Napoli with him. The 31-year-old Italian midfielder was Sarri’s midfield commander in Italy, and he brought Jorginho with the same motive to his new club. Jorginho sits in front of the centre-backs and is responsible for controlling the pace of the game for Chelsea. He takes the ball from the defence and distributes it to different areas of the field. In his five-year spell in England, the player has made 162 appearances (including one for Arsenal). The heatmap above shows that Jorginho has spent most of his time in the middle third in the last five seasons. His role has been more defensive for his side.
Last season, Jorginho made 29 appearances for Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel. The above viz shows the percentile rank of the midfielder in comparison to other left-central midfielders in the league. The pizza chart clearly shows that Jorginho is good with his positioning and almost every stat in the possession department. The only area in which the player has performed mediocrely is in delivering progressive passes. As for the goal contributions, the player is the main penalty-taker for his side. He scored six goals last season and provided two assists.
Jorginho’s ability to distribute the ball and keep possession is one of the primary reasons behind his success with the Blues. In the past five seasons combined, Jorginho averages 71.22 passes per 90 minutes with a high accuracy rate of 89.9%. These include 11.91 passes to the final third with an 81.2% accuracy rate. Other than this, 2.15 passes have been attempted to the penalty box with a 51.9% accuracy rate. The above viz shows the progressive passes played by Jorginho in the English Premier League. Most of these passes have been made to the wings. To create their plays, Arsenal will look to use Jorginho’s ability and find spaces in wider zones. Jorginho only gave five assists in his four-and-a-half-year spell at Chelsea. He is unlikely to offer much from the creative side in an Arsenal shirt.
Guarding the centre-backs
Jorginho will sit in front of the defence and break the opposition’s play. He has done so in a Chelsea shirt, and Mikel Arteta will be expecting the same for his team. In the English Premier League, he has contested 7.64 defensive duels, 1.5 aerial duels, and 2.6 loose ball duels per 90 minutes. The success rate is 58.8% for defensive duels, 37.2% for aerial duels, and 47.8% for loose ball duels. The player also intercepts the ball 5.25 times per 90 minutes, with a few coming in the attacking half. Jorginho gives away some tactical fouls, with a few coming in the defensive third. However, he has only conceded one penalty despite playing such a defensive line. Mikel Arteta will expect his player to be more disciplined and use his experience to break the opposition’s play.
The defensive actions of the Italian national player also include 10.4 recoveries per 90 minutes. Of these recoveries, 45.9% have been made in the attacking half. The above viz shows the high regains made by the player for Chelsea. Most of the recoveries have been made on the edge of the final third. Jorginho’s deeper role in the team allows him to make these recoveries quite easily.
A reliable penalty taker
Jorginho is not known for his goal-scoring contributions, but he was the regular penalty-taker for Chelsea. The midfielder netted 21 goals for Chelsea in the Premier League, and 19 came off the penalty spot. He missed three penalties during that spell. The xG map shows that most of the shots have been attempted from outside the opposition penalty box. Most of them have been on target or blocked. He is not a natural goal scorer but is reliable from the penalty spot.
Betting Analysis
As per the 1×2 betting odds, Arsenal’s odds are likely to fall if Jorginho starts against a weaker opponent. The over/under lines are likely to be affected by his signing as the player is not known for scoring goals.
Jorginho is likely to play a key role in Arsenal’s success this season. He is unlikely to start every match, as Arsenal have a pretty settled midfield. The player will be useful against larger teams in their pursuit of more silverware in the upcoming season.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine