Jorginho believes Arsenal are on the right path under Mikel Arteta and credits a collective work ethic for a change in the club’s fortunes.
The Italy international was recruited last January to bring experience and know-how to the Gunners midfield and he’s proved a canny signing in light of Thomas Partey’s injury struggles.
While his own future is in doubt – he’s 10 months through an initial 18-month contract and Arteta is yet to decide whether to activate a year-long extension – Jorgi believes Arsenal have a bright future ahead.
“We are in a good position because of the way we work, the way we constantly want to improve, the way we push to win matches,” he told Mexico’s version of Paramount Plus (via Gazzetta dello Sport).
“We are doing well and I think we are going in the right direction.”
“Mikel is a great coach,” he added. “He wants the best from all his players and pushes everyone to the limit.
“I think he will win a lot in his career, for what he is as a coach on the pitch and as a person off it.”
Elsewhere, Leandro Trossard says Arsenal’s late win over Brentford is another example of the team always believing they can find a goal.
As the clock ticked towards the 90th minute at the Community Stadium, it looked like the Gunners might have to settle for a point against a stubborn opponent. That was before Bukayo Saka found a couple of yards of space to curl a delicious ball onto the head of substitute Kai Havertz.
“We have belief,” the Belgian told Arsenal.com.
“We know that a goal can be scored in the 90th minute of a game. With the extra time now added on in every game, we play longer and you need to be focusing on those minutes.
“We’ve scored a lot of goals already this season in the last 10-15 minutes, so there is where you can decide games.”
I for one am loving the defensive dominance that shuts down the top strikers of the league providing us a stable platform to find space and get a goal. Less helter skelter back and forth. More of a slow strangulation and denial of space that crushes belief. We are top of the league.
Yes, but we also should be conscious of the fair amount of luck we’ve had that none of the goalkeeper errors by either Raya or Ramsdale, or those two Zinchenko errors have been punished, if they were (which would’ve been more typical Arsenal luck) we could easily be 4 points down from which would’ve put us in 5th place tied with… you know what I’m not even gonna say it, you get my point. Our defending has been overall superb but not impeccable, and better attacking would give us some much needed margin for error.
From another Arsenal (Untold) site comparing position and performance/results over 13 games.
Year P W D L F A GD Pts
1 Arsenal 2023 13 9 3 1 27 10 17 30
1 Arsenal 2022 13 11 1 1 31 11 20 34
5 Arsenal 2021 13 7 2 4 15 17 -2 23
15 Arsenal 2020 13 4 2 7 11 16 -5 14
The thing with errors is they WILL happen. We are playing a game which invites pressing to create sharp attacks that can generate space. Alternatively we come up against well disciplined defensive blocks. In both scenarios eventually errors happen. I think we’re actually doing exceptionally well in limiting those errors this season. But we love focussing on blame so the errors get the microscope treatment and all the exceptional work is largely ignored. That’s the assessment of Raya in a nutshell right there – he’s being asked to do a lot, and he’s doing it really well. But the media… Read more »
I get that, wasn’t at all trying to dismiss or downplay the accomplishments of our defense. But I think the calibre of these errors (all of which have come from only two positions on the pitch mind you, so it’s a very small percentage of our squad that’s to “blame”) and their frequency in the last few games has been higher than usual and than what you’d normally want to win the league, especially if offensively we’re not fully clicking either. I think it’s possible to praise our defending while still saying there’s a tiny bit more room for improvement,… Read more »
If we win anything with this brand of football I reserve the right to deny this comment ever existed.
But I really hope we get back a bit of attacking flair. The City (101 charges) strangulation technique is interminably dull.
Deal with it man. This is the price of being a good team. We inevitably face more tactical defensive blocks because if teams try and take us on we’ll cut them to shreds. Give me a stonewall defense, dominant midfield and an attack that has the killer instinct to win when it matters every day of the week over sieve defenses and counter attack prone midfields and a few extra goals.
Good squad player, like his positivity!
Totally. The Trossard’s and Jorginho’s of a squad are what win you titles.
We’ve gone from a great first XI to a great 14 to a team where most squad players can play without too much fear of our performance dropping.
I dread to think how strong we could be with one more really good window. An exceptional CF and a great CM and I think we have the best team in the world.
We have done this without Partey. At the beginning of the season, I would have said Partey was our most important player, the one we could least afford to lose. (Saliba, with a fit Tomiyasu and a surprisingly good Timber, would only have been second.) And indeed, Partey’s absence does change the way we play. No one else–probably not many in world football–are as good as Partey at receiving the ball from the keeper or centre halves in tight spaces and immediately advancing it into attack. Neither Rice (yet) nor Jorginho can do that. But, it turns out, they can… Read more »
And I mean, perfect teeth to boot!
That’s standard issue for professional footballers. But yeah, both of those guys pictured up top have perfect teeth.
I guess Mikel is waiting to see what we manage to do in the transfer window in Jan before he decides, but i really think we should activate Jorgi’s one year extension. Not because he’s the best of our current alternatives to Rice at DM, he’s clearly 2nd after Partey but much more reliable health-wise, and even more importantly I really feel like his veteran composure both on and off the field as someone who’s won everything is massive for this young squad. Even if he doesn’t end up playing much next year (because we’ll surely bring in someone better… Read more »
Looking forward to his extension being confirmed. Great squad player. Partey and Elneny will probably leave and he can be a great backup with experience and leadership
If Dec, Saliba, Saka and Tomi stay fit – I think we win the league. Anyone of them missing for a period of time and I feel we miss out again.
You might frown at Tomi being on that list but with no Timber, he can play anywhere along the back 4 and shut up shop. We would be noticeably light without him
I would have put Martinelli in there.
Kai Havertz’d me there.
I thought ‘Toni is a weird player to include’. Read the second paragraph where I thought ‘oh yeah that’s a good point’.
And if partey comes back we may win the champions league with rice and partey in the middle
Yeh agree with his defensive duties, he’s top class but not convinced with his offensive ones, Ben & Zinny overlap or play a better forward ball than Tomi and he has a problem playing a forward throw on to our players when we are pushing a threat to our opposition back line, small margins i get but he appears a determined guy who can only improve
I agree. Tomi was our second worst miss of last season because it meant there was no cover for white and Saliba.
for once its inanimate carbon rod in the photo and not cedric
Looks like one of those lame-o photo stories from back in the 80s that we all used to read in our sister’s Jackie magazines.
Guys. The 80s… Jackie. Guys…?
Ive no frame of reference for this, sorry
No frame of reference for the 80s? Keeping track of dates must be v hard for you
I was a small child in the 1980s.
Look at those happy guys. So fucking happy to be playing for Arsenal. Jorginho especially for escaping plane crash Chelsea and landing himself a gig with the most exciting club in the world!