Ian Wright admits Arsenal midfielder Jorginho did not look sharp against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Speaking on the Wrighty’s House podcast, the Arsenal legend shared his thoughts on the difficult north London derby.
Spurs entered the match with their strongest squad, giving new signing Brennan Johnson his full debut.
Mikel Arteta did not have the same luxury as four key players were ruled out before the match.
Losing Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard means having to move Gabriel Jesus out, which didn’t seem to suit him on Sunday. Things got worse when Declan Rice was substituted at half-time.
Arteta returned to the bench and brought on Italian international Jorginho, however, it was not his best performance.
Wright believes that Jorginho is not interested in the match against Tottenham.
He made a mistake that led to the away team’s second goal.
Right after Bukayo Saka’s kick, he had enough time and space to make a pass. Instead, he was blocked by James Maddison, who assisted Son Heung-min for Tottenham’s second goal.
Wright is not sure about Jorginho’s sharpness against Tottenham
Speaking about the change Arteta was forced to make, Wright said:
“The way I felt when Declan Rice came out first, we were okay without him, I just felt like we looked like a different team.
“Obviously we saw what Jorginho did and it probably depends on how clear the game is.
“When you look at him, when the ball comes to him, he has a lot of space, he has maybe two or three options and he doesn’t get on his feet quick enough and they’re coming towards us. .
“And again with [James] Maddison, realizing how quickly he didn’t understand, he just looked up for a moment and when he looked down, Maddison was in his face, won the ball and then when it happens, you just feel the goal has been scored. .”
The £12m midfielder has been a good option for Arteta since arriving from Chelsea in January. However, Jorginho only played 30 minutes before the Tottenham match, which seemed to prove Wright’s point.
His teammates publicly supported him after his mistake, showing the team spirit that Arteta has built at the club.
It will be interesting to see how long Rice will be out and whether Jorginho will be included in the starting lineup.
