Is Jorginho ready to make his first Arsenal start this season when the league resumes after the international break?
Declan Rice and Mikel Merino’s expected absence from the match against Tottenham, means that Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his technical bench must find a replacement to fill the void at LCM.
Numerous proposals have suggested potential combinations for Arsenal’s midfield three, including choosing one of Nwaneri, Timber, and even Zinchenko to fill the void.
Interestingly, some Arsenal fans have dismissed the idea of Jorginho playing in midfield alongside Thomas Partey and Martin Odegaard. The argument has been that playing Jorginho and Partey together could sap the vibrancy and aggression from Arsenal’s midfield, considering that they are both getting older.
However, Gary Neville has recently campaigned for Jorginho to start in midfield against Tottenham. Speaking to the Stick to Football Podcast, Neville discussed how Jorginho’s quality and experience may help this Arsenal team perform well in the derby. He discussed how midfielders of the Italian international calibre excel at their outstanding ball control and passing skills, which could be just what Arsenal needs against Spurs.
“Where I’ve seen older players work in central midfield is when they’re excellent on the ball and outstanding at controlling the game,” said Neville. “Players like Jorginho, Pirlo, Scholes, and Xavi are so exceptional with their passing and their ability to play that they can get through the game by being unbelievable on the ball.”
I wouldn’t mind Arteta giving Jorginho a chance against Tottenham. He certainly became known for being a big game specialist during his time with us. With Spurs’ high defensive line, the former Chelsea man’s passes might be crucial in breaking them down. While he plays at the 6 and brings composure and control to Arsenal’s engine room, Partey could fill the Merino and Rice LCM void, forming a Partey-Jorginho-Odegaard midfield trio. What do you think of the midfield’s potential impact versus Spurs?
Daniel O
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Jorginho is my choice to replace Rice at spurs place, strong, good in the air, good defensively and offensively. We will need his sort of aggression against them to counter their quick attacking play.
Who else could come in apart from Jorginho? This is no rocket science and you don’t have to be a “pundit” to know. The only regret is that he’s a like for like replacement for Partey. Merino and Rice are also similar. I’d rather prefer one Jorginho-Rice, Partey-Rice, Merino-Jorginho or Merino-Partey.
Partey timber ordegaard
At 8, Party is better than DR, so Gorgie gets the nod for me for a 6.
I would play Calafiori as a left back, and Timber to play Rice’s position