Serial winner Jorginho the perfect man to steady Arsenal’s capsizing ship as Man City defeat threatens to KO title bid
NO PARTEY means no Emirates party.
But if Arsenal are unable to get themselves over the finishing line, it won’t be down to the absence of Thomas Partey.
Mikel Arteta was forced to change his starting line-up for the first time since Boxing Day in the Premier League when Partey pulled up injured ahead of his team’s biggest game of the season.
And now they have it all to do in the title race after suffering an 11th straight League defeat at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s remorseless champions.
But if anyone is going to steady the ship it is serial winner Jorginho, the wise old head drafted in from Chelsea on transfer deadline day for just this kind of situation.
The 31-year-old Italian international was probably Arsenal’s most impressive performer on a disappointing night of self-inflicted misery.
And the man with winner’s medals from the Euros, Champions League and Europa League will be just the calming influence Arsenal are going to need in the coming weeks.
For this bruising defeat means Arsenal have surrendered their place at the top of the table for the first time since August 20.
Now they will need all of Jorginho’s experience to steady the nerves of his anxious young team-mates and convince them that all is not lost.
It was back in 2018 that Guardiola thought he was going to sign Jorginho for Manchester City and the player was more than happy to move to the Etihad at that time.
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But then Chelsea appointed Maurizio Sarri as their new manager and he insisted on bringing Jorginho with him from Napoli as part of the deal.
Two years later it was Arteta who was trying to make the Italian international his first signing for Arsenal.
But once again Chelsea scuppered those plans by insisting that the player was not for sale.
So when he finally came on the market at the end of last month’s transfer window, Arteta didn’t hesitate to make his move.
Two mammoth bids for Moises Caicedo had already been knocked back by Brighton and with Mo Elneny ruled out for the season by a knee operation, Arsenal desperately needed extra cover in central midfield.
It wasn’t a deal that was greeted with universal enthusiasm by the Arsenal online community, who still remembered how Willian and David Luiz had stunk the Emirates out in the past and were wary of signing another Chelsea cast-off at the fag end of his career.
But it was a good job for all concerned that he was welcomed on board because within days of his arrival, Partey was starting to feel the effects of playing almost every week and running out of steam.
The Ghanaian powerhouse has arguably been Arsenal’s most influential player this season with the protection he gives to the back four giving others the platform to pile forward with the handbrake off.
So when it emerged that he was going to miss last night’s game with a muscular problem, Gunners fans were entitled to fear the worst.
After all, his replacement certainly doesn’t have Partey’s physical presence and he’s never been the quickest player in the world.
But what Jorginho does bring is an attention to detail as well as that Italian cussedness to keep cutting down the angles in the middle of the pitch.
This might have been his first start for the club, but he still wasn’t afraid to let his new team-mates know if they weren’t showing for the ball.
He was constantly directing the play and pulling people into position to make sure that City couldn’t dominate possession in the areas they like.
When Oleksandr Zinchenko went wandering into midfield, it was Jorginho who instinctively dropped back to cover.
A crucial interception followed by an immaculate pass to set Eddie Nketiah in on goal had even the most sceptical of Arsenal fans applauding.
But his goal-line clearance to deny Manuel Akanji with the scores level at 1-1 was all in vain when City struck twice late on to settle this pulsating thriller.
And while Arteta will know that too many of his players flattered to deceive last night, at least he doesn’t have to risk rushing Partey back from injury like he has done in the past.