Just hours after the appointment of Maurizio Sarri, Chelsea confirmed the signing of Jorginho from Napoli for £57m. The 27-year-old midfielder was expected to be one of the most instrumental players in the controversial manager’s side.

The deep-lying playmaker had played a critical role in transforming Napoli, into an entertaining side. However, the Chelsea fans were immune to Jorginho’s charms in the first season. Circumstances and pure bad luck were primarily to blame for this. 

The arrival of Frank Lampard as a successor for Sarri, was greeted with a mix of elation and nervousness. Lampard’s return was a massive source of happiness for the Chelsea fans. However, his inexperience as a manager and a transfer ban were looked upon with fear. 

In the absence of Eden Hazard, the onus was on talented youngsters like Mason Mount to make their presence felt. However, despite all the talent, success would have been futile if not for a quality midfielder, capable of stellar passing and mature gameplay.

Jorginho redeems himself in Kante’s absence:

Jorginho has emerged as that player despite the absence of N’Golo Kante who has been sidelined due to injury. The 27-year-old has stood out with his vision, dynamic gameplay and creativity as evident from the assist for Tammy Abraham’s opener in the 2-1 win over Watford.

A dynamic central midfielder with the right dose of attacking instinct is what a die-hard Chelsea fan has craved for. Jorginho presents the fans with an opportunity to finally end this search.

Lampard has deployed the deep-lying playmaker in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 system, placing the midfielder in charge of initiating the attack. After receiving the ball from the goalkeeper with a wide range of passing options available in the team, he further coordinates with Mateo Kovacic and Kante to build a move. 

With his extraordinary work rate to run around and win challenges, Jorginho is the perfect focal point to the gameplay. Also with the attacking full-backs available at Lampard’s disposal, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso assist in pushing forward allowing the midfielder to sit in the deep.

This helps in giving the attackers an opportunity to focus their efforts, without being forced to keep shuffling from attack and defence.

With Kante expected to soon feature regularly, his presence would mean that Chelsea boast of one of the best midfields in the league. Given Lampard’s mentality where he expects his players to press and win the ball to keep possession and attack swiftly through accurate and dynamic passing, the frontline enjoys complete freedom to trouble the opposition defenders.

Jorginho’s progress vital for Chelsea:

Tammy Abraham who is one of the English Premier League (EPL)’s leading goalscorers has further benefitted from Jorginho’s emergence. The midfielder has looked to function as a focal point looking for runs from Abraham. Jorginho further checks for Willian’s free movement from where he can take the long shots.

Lampard has looked to back Jorginho through thick and thin, having served as a deep-lying playmaker. The Italian midfielder has made the fans giddy with delight at his performances. Not only this, Jorginho has further won the approval of the critics who slammed him.

Chelsea are well set to compete for a spot in the top four following a steady start to the season. With the club looking to challenge for the title in the coming years, Jorginho’s performances will certainly play a key role in the club’s fortunes this season and in the future as well.

Written By: Anirudh Madedhi.