Jorginho ran the show against Liverpool, sending message to Italy and Spalletti

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ByLorenzo Bettoni

Feb 6, 2024 13:53

Italy international Jorginho was the MOTM in Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Liverpool on Sunday, confirming he can still play a key role for Italy at the Euros, writes Lorenzo Bettoni.

The Italy international started his first game since November this past weekend, and Mikel Arteta’s decision paid off, given that the ex-Napoli and Hellas Verona midfielder was named MOTM at the Emirates Stadium.

The 31-year-old is no longer a regular starter at Arsenal but still collected 1.021 minutes on the pitch this season and his excellent display against the Reds proved he can still be an important player for Italy in next summer’s European Championships.

The Arsenal dressing room celebrate with Jorginho after his Man of the Match display 🔴🌟 pic.twitter.com/xDDcprrysy

— LiveScore (@livescore) February 4, 2024

Luciano Spalletti called him up this past November for the first time during his tenure and explained why he continued to rely on the experienced midfielder.

“He was not called up the first time because he had never featured for his club. The second time, he had started two games from seven and he had been injured and subbed off,” said the Azzurri coach at a press conference attended by Football Italia.

“But he always had the desire to be part of this team and this is crucial. I spoke to him, and he expressed his affection for this shirt and these colours. Now, he is playing regularly and I think he is getting in shape. He is the Regista who tells the team where to go. He was named Arsenal’s captain. There are positive signals that brought to this decision. He was never excluded from the group.”

Jorginho running the show. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/uWj7ZTn7IX

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) February 5, 2024

Jorginho was the best Arsenal player for accurate passes, passes in the final third, touches and interceptions against Liverpool and such a big performance in a key Premier League game surely proves the 31-year-old can still give his contribution to the Azzurri.

Spalletti has also used Manuel Locatelli and Bryan Cristante as Italy’s playmakers so far, but none of them seem to have the same quality as the Brazil-born midfielder who has scored five goals in 50 appearances with Italy, winning the Euros three years ago.

Surely, his penalty kick record with the Azzurri is something that remains to be assessed as Jorginho has missed three spot kicks in a row, including one against North Macedonia this past November.

Nevertheless, his contribution to the build-up and his defensive commitment make him one of the strongest candidates for the Regista role for Italy and Spalletti will likely include him in the team for the next Italy matches.

The Azzurri’s next two games are against Venezuela at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 21 and Ecuador in New York on March 24.