Jorge Luiz Frello Filho or better known as Jorginho, is an extremely integral piece in the English Premier League with Chelsea FC and even more so with the Italian National team. The Brazilian born deep playing midfielder, had the option to play for both Brazil and Italy. But luckily for Italy, he chose them. There is not one other player on this Italian National team that offers quite nearly the same characteristics Jorginho does.
Putting aside the disaster of not qualifying for World Cup 2018 Russia, it seems like the new look Italy under proven head coach Roberto Mancini are on the up. Mancini and previous coach Gian piero Ventura, are almost complete opposites when it comes to coaching styles and that is evident on the pitch. So far in the Euro Qualifiers, Italy has played six matches and has won all six matches with a goal difference of +15, far better than their qualifying record under Ventura. Not only are the outcomes of the matches under Mancini better, but their overall play is much more fluent and impressive.
Italy’s Influential Man
An argument can certainly be made that Giorgio Chiellini is Italy’s most important player due to his leadership but in his absence and even before he went down with his major injury, Jorginho has been crucial to Italy’s play. Jorginho has been one of Mancini’s most used players during his tenure at the helm of the Italian National team and rightfully so.
The midfielder with his great touch and calmness on the ball always makes his first pass look so easy. Whether he is receiving the ball 20 yards from his goal or if he has the ball in the opposing team’s half he almost never fails to complete a pass. Yes, some of his passes may not be as key as others but the importance of keeping possession and wearing down the opposing teams defence is very important in football today.
Although, Chelsea fans may have their own opinions on Jorginho and maybe he did not start so well, but they will eventually realize his importance to the team and how he makes it all click moving forward. It is the same situation for the Italian National team and Mancini has made it evident just how important Jorginho is to this team by playing him game after game.
Cool, Calm and Collected
Jorginho may score the rare penalty kick but overall he not be a heavy goal scoring midfielder and that is okay because that is not what makes him important to this national team or even Chelsea for that matter. His importance is shown in his leadership on the pitch, and there could easily be an argument made for him being the Azzurri captain instead of Leonardo Bonucci during Chiellini’s absence.
Furthermore, his calmness on the ball, his passing, the way he sets himself up to be in a perfect position to receive the ball and play it instantly are all crucial to the goal scoring and success of the Azzurri going forward. But arguably the most important aspect Jorginho brings to the table is his ability to make things click in the middle of the park moving the ball from the back and turning it into a scoring opportunity.
Once seen as Maurizio Sarri’s right hand man at SSC Napoli and even at Chelsea, we can see just how important Jorginho is to just about any team under any coach. Even though Chelsea have struggled thus far in the EPL season, Jorginho has been solid under his new coach Frank Lampard. After being praised several times by Mancini it is clear what he thinks of the midfielder and he means to this team, his performances in the middle make the team click.