Jorginho - Misunderstood

Jorginho has been one player in this Chelsea side who has often been singled out for criticism since he signed for Chelsea. His improvement under Tuchel has been significant. I will be trying to dissect to see what has changed since the 2019 season.

Jorginho was signed by Sarri to be the player around whom the Italian's system revolved around. He dictated the tempo of games in the 4-3-3 as one of the holding midfielders. Let' s have a look at his seasons numbers where he started 37 of his 38 league games courtesy of Fbref.

Under Sarri -

Jorginho - Possession stats

Short - 1361 passes @ 92%
Medium - 1078 passes @ 90.1%
Long - 230 passes @ 76.2%
Touches - 3329

Chelsea's buildup play went through the Italian. He dictated the tempo and flow of the game which was his primary role in the squad.

Jorginho - Defensive Numbers

Successful Tackles + Interceptions - 118
Clearances - 28
Dribbled past by players - 65 times
Successful Press% - 31.7%
YC - 8

The third stat was the biggest cause for concern in Sarri's system as it often left him exposed to opposite press.

Jorginho's role under Sarri was quickly dissected by opposing teams who made it a point to limit space and pressure him in his defensive half. This meant more turnovers in the middle and ultimately the start or finish of many counter attacks by the opposition.

Jorginho was often the receiving end of harsh criticism and abuse from the media, the fans and social media. The player had a tough first season inspite boasting some impressive numbers on and off the ball. He was not able to adapt well to the physicality of the Premier league.

Frank Lampard's appointment saw a change in the system with the midfielder not being the focal point of the build up play. Jorginho only played 27 of the 38 games with compatriot N'Golo Kante playing the 'Holding' role ahead of him towards the end of the season.

Under Frank Lampard -

Jorginho - Possession Stats

Short - 817 passes @ 92.5%
Medium - 814 passes @ 89.8%
Long - 291 passes @ 77%
Touches - 2472

Jorginho was often deployed in a pivot in a 4-2-3-1. Frank Lampard's build up play often emphasised on width than through the middle

Jorginho's influence in the buildup play was not the same as he had to adapt to the new managers style. An entirely new role where he was one of the midfielders who progressed the ball in a 2 man midfield with either Kovacic or Kante rather than the play revolve around him.

Jorginho - Defensive Numbers

Successful Tackles + Interceptions - 86
Clearances - 34
Dribbled past by players - 58 times
Successful Press% - 29%
YC - 10

A decline in numbers and it was clear that Jorginho was not the player fit for Frank Lampard's style of play

Thomas Tuchel however has brought in a new lease of life into Jorginho, more so than his former managers. The midfielder was pivotal in some of Tuchel's important games, most recently vs Real Madrid. This was due to a change in system and role for Jorginho

Tuchel's setup was built around protecting his midfielders, something which both Sarri and Frank were not able to get it right consistently. Jorginho's weaknesses were shielded in a back 3 system which gave him more security and did not leave him isolated in the middle

Under Tuchel -

Jorginho - Possession Stats

Short - 615 passes @ 93.1%
Medium - 591 passes @ 91.8%
Long - 133 passes @ 71.5%
Touches - 1716
Successful passes received - 1309 @ 97.1%

Under his previous managers, Jorginho had a total of 1032 touches in the attacking half.

Thomas Tuchel has reduced his involement in the attacking half of the pitch. The midfielder has only 235 touches for the season in attacking areas. This shielded one of Jorginho's biggest weaknesses when he got caught off during opposition breaks thus being in position always.

Jorginho - Defensive Numbers

Successful Tackles + Interceptions - 80
Clearances - 18
Dribbled past by players - 45 times
Successful Press% - 36%
YC - 1

This change in system and role has benefitted his defensive numbers a lot. He has not caught out of position.

Under Thomas Tuchel, Jorginho ranks in the 97th percentile for Interceptions per 90 (2.12) among all defensive midfielders in Europe. Getting into good positions has improved his defensive contributions overall. His lack of athleticism has been masked by his superb Footballing IQ

No matter what your opinion on Jorginho is, you cannot deny how good he has been for Thomas Tuchel. Jorginho deserves a lot of praise for turning it around and the credit goes to Tuchel for giving him a new lease of life. Thank you for reading my thread. Retweets appreciated.