Chelsea’s signing of Jorginho was, in many ways, a statement of intent.
Not only did they beat reigning Premier League champions Manchester City to the midfielder’s
signature, paying £50 million in order to do so, but they essentially confirmed their
commitment to a new style of play.
On the same day as Jorginho’s arrival, Chelsea appointed Maurizio Sarri their head coach.
This was significant, as the two had complemented one another wonderfully during three seasons
together at Napoli.
Just as Sarri helped Jorginho to become a better player, Jorginho helped Sarri implement
some of the most beautiful football seen in Europe.
Prior to their working together, Jorginho was no more than a squad player.
Under Rafa Benitez’s management he had fallen down the Napoli pecking order, behind Gokhan
Inler, Walter Gargano and David Lopez.
In the summer of 2015 there were even rumours of him leaving the club in order to secure
more regular game time, but his circumstances were soon to change completely.
Despite bringing Mirko Valdifiori with him from Empoli, Sarri eventually plumped for
Jorginho as the best man to steer his midfield.
Within a matter of months the player was back to his very best, directing Napoli’s possession
with unerring precision and composure.
He became integral to the team over the three years that followed, playing a pivotal role
in two exciting title challenges.
In order to understand how he will impact the new Chelsea, it is best to look into how
he played within Sarri’s Napoli setup.
After an initial experimentation with a 4-3-1-2, Sarri stuck rigidly by a 4-3-3 system during
his time in Naples.
Jorginho played as the deep-lying midfielder at the base of the central three, influencing
the team in all phases.
Defensively, Sarri’s Napoli pressed high up the pitch in a ball-oriented manner.
Within this intense pressing scheme, Jorginho was generally responsible for supporting from
behind.
He would shift laterally and ensure he remained close to his more advanced teammates, allowing
them to heap pressure on the opposition ball-player.
At the same time, his movement and positioning prevented gaps from opening up between the
team’s midfield and defensive lines.
Offensively, Sarri’s Napoli played a fast possession game with a focus on verticality.
This entailed building through the thirds through penetrative passes, of which Jorginho
was a regular supplier.
The 26-year-old was often situated just in front of the two centre-backs, forming a compact
triangular build-up shape that helped Napoli resist pressure and establish control of possession.
He was heavily involved at this particular stage, which explains why he topped Serie
A’s completed pass charts for three straight years, averaging 99 passes per game in this
period.
A fine playmaker with excellent vision, Jorginho doesn’t pass for the sake of it – his
chipped through balls were an effective aspect of Napoli’s attacking strategy under Sarri.
He is also highly intelligent off the ball, knowing when and where to move to evade opposition
marking.
This trait is something he had to develop as Serie A defences became increasingly fixated
on stopping him in a bid to nullify Napoli’s possession, and it could prove vital if and
when he faces equally attentive man-marking in the Premier League.
It is arguable that he wouldn’t have fit in at Chelsea under Antonio Conte’s leadership.
Conte favoured a midfield two within a 3-4-2-1 system, and Jorginho’s preferred regista
role simply doesn’t exist within that framework.
Furthermore, he would have seen far less of the ball in the old Chelsea setup, meaning
his aforementioned playmaking qualities would not have been maximised.
Fortunately for him, Sarri’s appointment means tactical change is on the horizon.
Firstly, Sarri will do away with the back three and implement his preferred back four.
This back four will be asked to take up a much higher defensive line in a more active
pressing style.
All of this is intended to help the team win back possession as quickly as possible.
Without the ball, Jorginho will be responsible for screening the back four and supporting
the press, occasionally moving up to mark an opponent when opposition possession moves
wide.
Sarri will also ditch the central two for a midfield three, of which Jorginho will be
the deepest operator.
This may cause some uncertainty regarding the role of N’Golo Kante, previously Chelsea’s
ball-winner extraordinaire.
However, the Frenchman could simply be moved into the right-sided central midfield berth,
from where he could be involved in pressing higher up the pitch.
An additional benefit of this is that his line-breaking runs could be indulged more
frequently to offer a different type of threat in possession.
With Jorginho at the base and Kante on the right, Cesc Fabregas is the most viable option
for the other midfield position, with the Spaniard bringing control to the team’s
attacking play.
Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are more dynamic alternatives.
Expect Sarri’s Chelsea to line up in a 4-3-3 shape with a focus on dominating the ball
more than they did under Conte.
They will be more aggressive in their pressing and will adopt a quicker, more vertical possession
game.
And Jorginho, with his penetrative passing, astute positioning, spatial awareness and
total understanding of Sarri’s ideas, will underpin the new style.