‘Tremendous’: Mikel Arteta hails Jorginho after Villa win
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heaped praise on Jorginho following his sublime performance against Aston Villa in the Premier League yesterday.
The Italian midfielder joined the Gunners from Chelsea before the winter transfer deadline and he has already played a key role with three league appearances.
Jorginho was one of the stand-out performers in the 3-1 loss to Manchester City in midweek and he carried over the good form to the trip to Villa Park.
The 31-year-old was efficient with his distribution from the centre of the park but it was his stellar stoppage time strike which grabbed the headlines.
With the Gunners level at 2-2, Jorginho unleashed a stunning long-range shot on goal. The rebound off the post found the net after hitting Emiliano Martinez’s head.
Speaking after the 4-2 victory, Arteta admitted that he was surprised by the effort from Jorginho and added that he was tremendous in the comeback triumph.
He told Arsenal.com: “I certainly didn’t see that quality of his – scoring from deep! It’s great to do that. The biggest quality he has is he makes the rest of the people look better, better than what you actually are.”
“He’s made a huge impact already on the boys, on the staff and hopefully our supporters can see that as well and give him the support he needs. I thought he was tremendous today.”
Jorginho has huge impact in title race
The Gunners squandered several clear-cut scoring chances at Villa Park and it seemed that they were on course to share the spoils before Jorginho’s stellar strike.
The Italian is not known for his long-range shooting skills and took a risk which paid off in the end. In a short space of time, Jorginho has already proved his credentials.
There were doubts raised over his signing after the club’s failure to land Moises Caicedo, but Jorginho has shown his leadership qualities in the last two games.
He has been handing instructions off the ball to his teammates and looks at home already. He is a different player to Thomas Partey but does his job efficiently.
His clutch moment yesterday has provided a huge boost for Arsenal in the title race. They are now two points ahead of Manchester City at the top with a game in hand.
Pep Guardiola’s side failed to beat Nottingham Forest on the road yesterday which ensured the Gunners’ return to the top of the standings after just one matchday.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
