There are some players that suit one system more than any other player. They keep that system ticking and offer an immense understanding. As a result, they are loved by the manager which plays that system. More than anyone else, this applies to Jorginho and Maurizio Sarri. And time could be right for them to reunite once again.
Sarri’s Juventus haven’t had a season that has been as good as they expected leading to some online bookmakers such as allvideoslots.com/cn/ turn to Lazio as favourites for the Serie A title. It has had some close wins over the likes of Genoa, Bologna, Hellas Verona and Brescia. This has come as a result of the team struggling for tempo in midfield and failing to move the ball around quickly.
Their inability to do that let them down in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Lyon. The 1-0 loss came as a result of a Lucas Tousart goal. After the game, Sarri was vocal about the problem of not doing enough on the ball.
The former Chelsea boss said: “I cannot get the players to understand the importance of moving the ball quickly.
“It’s difficult to explain why, but our first half moved the ball too slowly, with no movement, so naturally the opposition were going to press, win the ball back and even score.”
Miralem Pjanic has been the regular anchor-man in the 4-3-1-2. But in recent games, the Bosnian has lost his place to Rodrigo Bentancur. Pjanic’s demise started in the loss to Hellas Verona, when he was caught napping for Fabio Borini’s goal. While Pjanic is good on the ball, the former Lyon man has been dribbled past 1.3 times and leaves the backline exposed.
His passing can’t be questioned. He has completed 66.3 passes per game, doing that with an accuracy of 89.8 percent. For a good part of the season, there was a feeling that Pjanic had become what Sarri likes in Jorginho. But it hasn’t gone on for too long.
Jorginho hasn’t had a bad season at Chelsea- like Matteo Kovacic. With NGolo Kante injured for a good part of the season, he’s had to play as the deepest midfielder a good number of times. The Italy international has made 26 appearances in the Premier League, playing 71.6 passes per game with an 88 percent accuracy.
But in the last few games, Billy Gilmour has risen to the deepest midfielder role. The Scotland Under-21s man has emerged as not just a very reliable passer and is now being seen as the club’s next star. With Kante injured, Ruben Loftus-Cheek returning and Conor Gallagher impressing in his loan spells, the midfield competition will be massive next season.
Jorginho is 28 and presents the perfect Sarri-like player. He will get rid of the issues that Sarri talked about after Lyon. In Sarri’s last season at Napoli, Jorginho played as many 96.9 passes per game and had an accuracy of 89.5 percent. That is very important for the Italian’s possession-based system and he needs that anchor-man to get the play ticking.
He might be getting older but so is Pjanic. If not a swap deal, Juve moving Pjanic on would make sense considering they have been looking at midfielders for the upcoming transfer window. Jorginho can take the team forward and help Sarri build the team in his image- something he’s struggled to do so far.
